BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES 

OF TIIE I ^SSSL-, 

APOSTLES, EVANGELISTS, 

AND OTHER SAINTS; 

WITH 

REFLEXIONS AND COLLECTS ; 



ADAPTED TO THE 



MINOR FESTIVALS 



UNITED CHURCH OF ENGLAND AND IRELAND. 



BY 

RICHARD MANT, D.D. M.R.I.A. 

BISHOP OF DOWN AND CONNOR. ' 



How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and 
bring glad tidings of good things ! . Rom. x, 15. 

And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of 
bonds and imprisonment : 

They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with 
the sword : they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins ; being destitute, 
afflicted, tormented ; 

(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in 
mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. Heb. xi. 36, 37, 38. 



OXFORD, 

PRINTED BY W. BAXTER, 
YOU J. PARKtlt: AND C. AND J. RIVINGTON, ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD, AND 
WATERLOO PLACE, LONDON. 

1828. 



BX'4655" 

M2> 



TO THE 

RIGHT HONOURABLE AND MOST REVEREND 

JOHN GEORGE, 

LORD ARCHBISHOP OF ARMAGH, 
PRIMATE OF ALL IRELAND AND METROPOLITAN: 

IN TOKEN OF SINCERE RESPECT 
FOR THE DIGNITY, AFFABILITY, PRUDENCE, AND MODERATION, 
WITH WHICH 
HE PRESIDES OVER THE IRISH PORTION 
OF THE UNITED NATIONAL CHURCH; 

AND MORE ESPECIALLY 
FOR THE DISCERNMENT, DECISION, AND CHRISTIAN TEMPER, 
WITH WHICH, ON A LATE MEMORABLE OCCASION. 
HE ASSERTED THE GREAT PROTESTANT PRINCIPLE 
OF MAKING THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD 
THE RULE OE RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION; 
THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE INSCRIBED 
BY HIS GRACE'S 
FA1THUFL AND OBEDIENT 

SERVANT AND SUFFRAGAN, 



RD. DOWN AND CONNOR. 



PREFACE. 



THE following publication arose out of a 
suggestion made to me a considerable time 
ago, that a work of such a description, 
as is professed in the title page, composed, 
not in dialogue after the manner of Mr. 
Nelson's " Companion to the Festivals," 
but in narrative, and in a style more 
suited to the literary taste of the present 
day, would be acceptable and useful to 
the publick. I approved of the suggestion, 
but was prevented by other engagements 
from adopting it. After the lapse however 
of several years, finding the want still 
unsupplied, and feeling myself sufficiently 
at leisure from official duties, I turned my 
attention more seriously to the subject, 
and the result is now offered to publick 
acceptance. 



viii 



PREFACE. 



In , the Biographical Nottces I have 
endeavoured to give a familiar, compen- 
dious, and, so far as circumstances would 
permit, an authentick account of those holy 
persons, whom it pleased the divine Pro- 
vidence to employ as his instruments for 
the first preaching of Christianity to the 
world, and whom our national Church 
judges worthy of an annual commemora- 
tion. All the information, which the early 
writers of the Church furnish upon this 
subject, is to be found in Dr. Cave's " Lives 
of the Apostles," from which Mr. Nelson 
derived the materials for the historical part 
of his " Companion to the Festivals ;" 
and still more fully in Dr. Lardner's Works, 
especially his 66 Supplement to the second 
part of the Credibility of the Gospel history; 
containing a history of the Apostles and 
Evangelists, writers of the New Testa- 
ment." But neither of these works is in the 
hands, or for the use, of the general reader. 
Mr. Nelson observed with respect to Dr. 
Cave, that his " criticisms of the history 
of the Apostles are more proper to entertain 



PREFACE. 



IX 



the curiosity of the learned, than the 
devotion of well-disposed minds and he 
accordingly omitted them from his own 
compilation. A similar observation ap- 
plies in a still greater degree to the very 
laborious, learned, and critical collections 
of Dr. Lardner. These publications there- 
fore appeared by no means to supersede 
such a work as the present, the object 
of which, like that of Mr. Nelson, is 
rather to answer the inquiries, and to 
encourage the devotion, of the ordinary 
reader, than to satisfy the deeper views of 
the theological proficient ; but they at the 
same time were judged capable of supplying 
an invaluable fund of materials, out of 
which such a work as the present might 
be constructed. 

In the construction of my work Dr. Cave's 
and Dr. Lardner's volumes have been of 
course continually before me. Besides 
this general acknowledgment of my obli- 
gation to them, particular references will 
frequently be found in the ensuing pages : 



X 



PREFACE. 



for I have for the most part mentioned the 
author, when any thing was taken which 
appeared to require special reference ; 
particularly where citations were made of 
early writers, quoted through the medium 
of Dr. Cave or Dr. Lardner. I might 
indeed have easily given references to the 
original authors themselves : but I did not 
wish to burden my page with such re- 
ferences unnecessarily, or to make an 
ostentatious display of them : conceiving 
that they would be of little or no use to 
the kind of readers, for whom my work is 
principally designed ; and that, if in any 
case an opportunity of consulting the 
original document should be desired, it 
would be supplied through the channel to 
which reference is given. Use likewise has 
been occasionally made of other authors, 
principally ritualists and scriptural com- 
mentators ; and they are generally referred 
to at the time. It may however have 
occurred now and then, that assistance 
has been derived and not acknowledged 
on the particular occasion. 



PREFACE. 



xi 



In putting together my materials I have 
endeavoured to discriminate between such 
accounts, as appeared well authenticated 
or probable, and such as appeared to rest 
on a false or uncertain foundation. Of the 
former I have spoken with more con- 
fidence : of the latter doubtfully or tran- 
siently ; or have perhaps passed them by 
in silence. 

It will be observed, possibly to the 
inconvenience of the Reader, that these 
Biographical Notices differ from each 
other in extent ; a necessary consequence 
of the comparatively copious information, 
which the sacred writings and ecclesiastical 
history furnish concerning some of the 
Apostles, and the very scanty mention 
which they make of others. Whatever 
convenience might be the result of sub- 
mitting the notices of St. John, St. Paul, 
and St. Peter on the one hand, and those 
of St. Matthias and St. Simon on the 
other, to the Procrustean operation of 
reducing or extending them to the same 



xii 



PREFACE. 



dimensions ; I judged that by such an 
operation neither justice would be done to 
my subject, nor satisfaction given to the 
reasonable curiosity of my readers. Even 
in the largest however of these notices, 
I trust that I shall not be thought to 
have protracted the narrative to an undue 
length ; since it has been my endeavour to 
limit myself in those instances to as narrow 
a compass as I considered consistent with 
the purpose of my undertaking. 

The Reflexions, which follow the Bio- 
graphical Notices, are such as have offered 
themselves to my mind on a contemplation 
of the character of the individual Saint, or 
of the incidents in which the sacred history 
describes him to have been engaged. I 
hope that the connexion will appear suf- 
ficiently obvious : still more, that the two 
together will be found conducive to the 
promotion of a sound faith and a corre- 
spondent practice. 

To this end prayer for the divine grace 



PREFACE. 



Xlll 



is necessary. To the Notices therefore and 
the Reflexions, Collects are subjoined, 
with reference to some of the leading to- 
picks which will previously have been sub- 
mitted to the thoughts of the reader. I 
have selected prayers from our Liturgy : 
because I know no better ; and because I 
think and feel, that the more thoroughly 
the contents of that Book are instilled into 
a Christian's mind, the more highly it will 
be prized, and the more excellent will be 
its effects. 

The foregoing particulars formed the 
original plan of my undertaking. In the 
progress, or rather towards the end of it, 
a thought occurred, that a metrical sketch 
of some prominent idea, suggested by the 
previous narrative or reflexions, might give 
an interest to the work, and render it more 
useful by rendering it more agreeable. 
The little poems at the end of the different 
articles, if indeed the term be not misap- 
plied to such effusions, were in conse- 
quence annexed. If they produce the de- 



xiv 



PREFACE. 



sired effect, it is well : at all events they 
will occupy but a small portion of the time 
of the reader, as they occupy but little of 
the book ; being each of them comprised 
within a few lines, unless it be two or three 
towards the close of the volume, which 
have been allowed to extend themselves to 
perhaps an undue length. 

Before I conclude this Preface, I wish 
to make a remark upon a book, to which 
I have more than once adverted already, 
and with regard to which I would antici- 
pate any misapprehension in the minds of 
my readers. I mean Mr. Nelson's ei Com- 
panion for the Festivals/' which I trust 
that I shall not be thought desirous of de- 
preciating by the present attempt in a 
course not altogether dissimilar. Since the 
time of its publication in 1703, that book 
has enjoyed a circulation, second perhaps 
to none but the holy Scriptures and the 
Book of Common Prayer : and it has done 
during that period, and probably will con- 
tinue to do, more good in its generation 



PREFACE. 



XV 



than almost any other. But the " cate- 
chetical form/' into which the Author 
(i chose to throw the whole subject of his 
papers, hoping thereby they might become 
more universally instructive," does not 
contribute to render them more alluring 
and agreeable : his manner also may be 
deemed somewhat dry, and his style some- 
what antiquated, by the more refined, per- 
haps the fastidious, taste of modern times. 
And I may be allowed to intimate a doubt, 
whether in some instances, by the curtail- 
ment and abridgment of his materials, he 
has not diminished the interest of his sub- 
ject, and withheld from his readers desir- 
able information : and whether in others 
he has not shewn himself less studious, 
than might have been wished, of discri- 
minating duly between documents of dif- 
ferent authority and value ; and thus com- 
bined with the best authenticated and most 
probable history, and placed upon the 
same apparent footing with it, accounts, 
uncertain or spurious in their origin, and 



xvi 



PREFACE. 



in their substance erroneous, or at least 
open to much question and debate. 

But whatever be the merits of Mr, 
Nelson's work, the greatly increased num- 
ber of modern readers, as well as the alter- 
ation in the taste of the age, may well 
justify an undertaking, upon the same sub- 
ject, though after a different manner : the 
rather as I am inclined to think, that the 
present undertaking keeps in a great de- 
gree clear of Mr. Nelson's, not in manner 
only, but in the biographical details, and 
still more in the reflexions. For whilst I 
have exercised my own judgment in my 
use of Dr. Cave's work, from which the 
historical matter in the " Companion for 
the Festivals" is principally taken, the sub- 
sequent researches and observations of Dr. 
Lardner have opened views, of which the 
Author of " the Companion" did not enjoy 
the benefit, but which must be esteemed of 
great importance towards exhibiting a sa- 
tisfactory account of the lives of the Apo- 



PREFACE. 



xvii 



sties and Evangelists : at the same time in 
my reflexions I have followed a very dif- 
ferent course from Mr. Nelson ; so that, 
although occasionally indebted to him for 
an useful hint or observation, my work in 
that particular will be found not to in- 
terfere with his. 

Upon the whole, though nothing can 
be more distant from my mind than a 
desire to depreciate Mr. Nelson's work, 
such considerations, as I have here sub- 
mitted, may tend to satisfy the reader, 
that the present undertaking is not an 
impertinent and needless intrusion, upon 
ground already fully occupied. With that 
hope I now leave the undertaking to the 
candid reception of the publick, adopting 
in conclusion the sentiment and the lan- 
guage of the pious and excellent author, 
whose work has been the occasion of 
these remarks. " If there be any such 
readers, as shall be prevailed upon by my 
weak endeavours to become more careful 
and solicitous about ' the one thing neces- 

b 



xviii 



PREFACE. 



sary and shall be persuaded or enabled 
to improve the Holy Seasons of the Church 
to the advantage of their souls ; let God's 
holy name have the glory, who was pleased 
to bless the meanest instrument in so 
great a work, Let me only beg the favour 
of their prayers, that when upon such 
occasions they prostrate themselves at the 
throne of grace, and approach the holy 
altars of God, they would in the fervour 
of their devotions offer up a petition for 
the unworthy author ; that ' among all 
the changes and chances of this mortal 
life, his heart may surely there be fixed, 
where true joys are to be found and 
that while he is solicitous about the 
salvation of others, he may not fall short 
in securing his own." 

R. D. AND C. 

Jan. 1, 1828. 



CONTENTS. 

Page 

BIOGRAPHICAL Notice of St. Andrew the 

Apostle . . . . 1 

Reflexions . . . . . .13 

Biographical Notice of St. Thomas the Apostle . 27 

Reflexions . . . . . . .37 

Biographical Notice of St. Stephen the first Martyr 53 

Reflexions . . . . • .68 

Biographical Notice of St. John the Apostle and 

Evangelist . . . . .81 

Reflexions .102 

Historical Notice of the Holy Innocents . .115 

Reflexions . . . . . . .125 

Biographical Notice of St. Paul the Apostle . 139 

Reflexions . . . . . . 168 

Biographical Notice of St. Matthias the Apostle 177 

Reflexions 180, 187 

Biographical Notice of the blessed Virgin Mary 201 

Reflexions ...... 217 



XX 



CONTENTS. 



Page 

Biographical Notice of St. Mark the Evangelist 229 

Reflexions 242 

Biographical Notice of St. Philip the Apostle . 257 
Reflexions . . . ... : . 262 

Biographical Notice of St. James the Apostle, the 

son of Alphaeus 268 

Reflexions 280 

Biographical Notice of St. Barnabas the Apostle 287 

Reflexions .299 

Prophetical and Biographical Notice of St. John 

the Baptist . . . . . . 319 

Reflexions .332 

Biographical Notice of St. Peter the Apostle . 345 

Reflexions .367 

Biographical Notice of St. James the Apostle, the 

son of Zebedee . . . ? .383 
Reflexions . . . . . . 394 

Biographical Notice of St. Bartholomew the 

Apostle 407 

Reflexions .417 

Biographical Notice of St. Matthew the Apostle 

and Evangelist . . . . . 427 

Reflexions . . . . . . . 440 

Scriptural Notice of St. Michael and the Holy 

Angels . . . . . . . 455 

Reflexions . . . . . . 473 



CONTENTS. 



xxi 



Page 



Biographical Notice of St. Luke the Evangelist 487 

Reflexions 497 

Biographical Notice of St. Simon Zelotes the 

Apostle . 515 

Biographical Notice of St. Jude the Apostle . 519 

Reflexions 525 

Historical Notice of All Saints 1 day . . 541 

Reflexions ....... 558 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES 

OF THE 

APOSTLES, EVANGELISTS, 

AND OTHER SAINTS. 



ST. ANDREW 



One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter s brother, 
John vi. 8. 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ST. ANDREW. 

" THE glorious company of the Apostles," 
whom the Church commemorates by a succes- 
sion of annual festivals, is led at the com- 
mencement of the ecclesiastical year by him, 
whom the Scripture describes to us by his con- 
nexion with our blessed Lord, and at the same 
time by his name and his relation to another 
great Apostle, as " one of Jesus's disciples, 
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother." His festival 
may have been fixed for celebration at this 
period, by reason of the date of his death, 
which is recorded to have taken place on the 
30th of November : or probably it may have 
been so fixed with reference to the commence- 
ment of the ecclesiastical year, by way of an 
introduction to the season of Advent, and to 

B 



One of his disciples, 



announce, as it were, the Advent or Coming* 
of our Lord ; because, as Bishop Sparrow has 
observed, " it was he who first came to Christ, 
and followed him, before any of the other 
Apostles ; it was he who brought his brother 
Simon to Christ; it was he who said, We 
have found the Messiah 1 ." 

St. Andrew was a native of Bethsaida, a 
city of. Galilee, situated at the north-eastern 
extremity of that large body of water, formed 
by an expansion of the river Jordan, and known 
in the New Testament by the name of the sea 
of Galilee or of Tiberias, or the lake of Genne- 
sareth. He was the son of a fisherman named 
Jona, whose trade he followed, and the brother 
of Simon Peter; but whether the elder or the 
younger brother, is not certainly agreed, though 
the testimony of antiquity, with but slight ex- 
ception, represents him as the younger b . But 
whether he were the elder or the younger, to 
him certainly belongs the distinction, of having 
been himself the first follower, and of having 
introduced Peter to a knowledge, of our Lord. 

From the first chapter of St. John's Gospel 
we learn, that Andrew had been trained under 

a Bishop Sparrow's Rationale on the Common Prayer. 
b Dr. Cave's Lives of the Apostles. Life of St. Peter, 
s. i. 4. 



Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 3 



the discipline of John the Baptist, who had 
been sent into the world as the forerunner of 
the promised Saviour, to prepare the way be- 
fore him by the preaching of repentance, and 
to give notice of his approach. Standing with 
another of John's disciples on the banks of the 
Jordan, while John was baptizing there, his 
attention was drawn by his master to Jesus as 
he walked by ; and he received a distinct as- 
surance from the Baptist, that this was the 
promised Redeemer whose coming he had 
been commissioned to announce : 44 Behold/' 
said he, 44 the Lamb of God.'* The informa- 
tion was not lost upon Andrew and his compa- 
nion : for they thereupon followed Jesus ; and 
were invited and guided by him to his dwell- 
ing, arid were permitted to abide with him 
during the remainder of the day. This cir- 
cumstance procured for our Apostle from se- 
veral of the ancients the epithet of 44 the first- 
called disciple an epithet, if not strictly 
agreeable to the fact in the judgment of those, 
who say that he can hardly be said to have 
been 44 called" till a later period in company 
with his brother Simon c ; yet justified in some 
degree at least by the circumstance of his being 
recorded as the first of the disciples w ho sought 



c Dr. Cave. Life of St. Andrew, 2. 



4 



One of his disciple^ 



Jesus, and was invited and admitted to his 
dwelling and conversation. 

Thus introduced to a knowledge of the Sa- 
viour, he did not confine that knowledge to his 
own breast, but immediately imparted it to his 
brother in those memorable words, " We have 
found the Messiah." This circumstance again 
has not failed to be noticed by the writers of 
antiquity : for on this account, and with re- 
ference to the name, subsequently given by our 
Lord to Simon, Andrew has been styled, "The 
rock before the rock ;" so that, as Dr. Cave ob- 
serves, " of all our Lord's Apostles St. Andrew 
had thus far the honour to be the first preacher 
of the Gospel d ." 

It does not appear that he continued perma- 
nently with Jesus after this interview". Pro- 
bably he accompanied him to Cana, and was 
one of those " disciples 6 ," who were invited 
to the marriage, and whose faith was strength- 
ened by that " beginning of miracles," whereby 
Jesus there " manifested forth his glory." 
Probably also he was one of the " disciplesV* 
who afterwards went with him to Capernaum, 
and thence to Jerusalem, and " tarried with" 
him, while he continued in Judea. After some 
time however, it is plain that both he and 



d Life of St. Andrew, 9. £ John h. 2, 1L. f John ii. 12. 



Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 



5 



Simon Peter returned to their own home by the 
sea of Galilee, and to the exercise of their own 
occupation, in which they were engaged, when, 
after the lapse of about a year, they were 
called by our Lord from their employment of 
fishers, to become, as he emphatically told 
them, " fishers of men." The occurrence, to 
which allusion has been already made, as re- 
lated by St. John, had brought Andrew, and 
after him his brother Simon, to a personal ac- 
quaintance with Jesus, and probably in some 
degree to a personal attendance upon him : 
the occurrence, to which allusion is now made, 
as related more briefly by St. Matthew and 
St. Mark, and more particularly and fully by 
St. Luke, occasioned the subsequent attend- 
ance upon him of the two brothers to be con- 
stant and stated. The occurrence alluded to 
is that important event which ensued on the 
miraculous draught of fishes, caused by our 
Saviour in the presence of Andrew and Simon, 
the sons of Jona, and of the sons of Zebedee, 
James and John ; whence he took occasion to 
call them to be his followers, and they, in obe- 
dience to his call, " forsook all and followed 
him*." 

We thus find Andrew become a regular fol- 



§ Matt. iv. 18—22, Mark i. 16— 20. Luke v. 1—11. 



6 



One of his disciples, 



lower of our blessed Lord, separated from his 
worldly business and relations, and perma- 
nently attached to his divine Master's family 
and service. The assurance, which he had re- 
ceived from John the Baptist, of Jesus being 
" the Lamb of God," the expected Messiah, 
had doubtless been confirmed in the interval 
by the proofs, which had been given of his 
claim to that character : by the miracles which 
Andrew had probably witnessed during his 
temporary attendance on him, at Cana, Ca- 
pernaum, and, it may be, in Jerusalem also 
and Judea; and, after 44 Jesus returned in the 
power of the Spirit into Galilee," by the asto- 
nishing efficacy of his doctrine, by his healing 
of divers diseases, and by the authority with 
which he commanded the unclean spirits ; so 
44 that the fame of him went out into every 
place of the country round about 11 ." AH of 
these evidences of supernatural power the resi- 
dence of Andrew and of his brother and com- 
panions on the lake of Gennesareth, and their 
necessary communication and traffick with Ca- 
pernaum, and the other towns upon the lake, 
which were the usual scene of the actions of 
Jesus, must have brought under their observa- 
tion: and all these favourable impressions must 



11 Luke iv. 14. 



Andrew, Simori Peter's brother. 7 



doubtless have been confirmed by the circum- 
stances of the call itself, by the doctrine which 
he had delivered to the multitude out of one of 
their ships, and by the power which he had 
given to his doctrine, impressing* upon their 
senses a convincing proof of his divine autho- 
rity by commanding a miraculous draught of 
fishes in the very place, where they had " toiled 
all the night, and had taken nothing k ." 

From thus becoming a follower of Christ, 
the next step in Andrew's history is that of his 
being called to the office and honour of the 
apostolate ; for soon afterwards we find him 
mentioned by the three first evangelists, as one 
of the twelve, whom our Lord " chose," and 
" named apostles," and " ordained," " that 
they should be with him, and that he might 
send them forth to preach," " and gave them 
power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, 
and to heal all manner of sickness and all man- 
ner of disease 1 ." For what reasons it pleased 
the Divine wisdom and providence, that so lit- 
tle of the Acts of this Apostle, as of most of his 
brethren in the apostolate, after his call to that 
high office, should be recorded by the inspired 
historians, is a question which admits of no 

k Luke v. 5. See Dean Stanhope on the Epistles and 
Gospels. St. Andrew's day. 
! Matt. x. Mark iii. Luke vi. 



8 



One of his disciples, 



very obvious solution. The fact however is 
evident, that little more is recorded of St. An- 
drew in the sacred history, except so far as he 
is comprehended in the general account of the 
twelve Apostles. 

On three occasions indeed he is particularly 
mentioned : first, as having given notice to 
Jesus of the lad with five barley loaves and two 
small fishes, previously to the miraculous feed- 
ing of the five thousand 111 ; then, as having 
been consulted by Philip concerning the Greeks, 
who had " come up to Jerusalem to worship at 
the feast," and who were desirous of seeing 
Jesus, and as having joined with Philip in pro- 
curing their admittance to his presence" ; and, 
thirdly, as having, together with Peter and 
James and John, privately inquired of our 
Lord on the mount of Olives concerning the 
time of the approaching desolation of Jerusa- 
lem and of his own last coming, and as having 
been thereupon indulged, together with them, 
with a larger share of his Lord's confidence 0 . 

But in general he does not appear to have 
taken a prominent part in the transactions re- 
corded in the New Testament ; nor does he ap- 
pear to have been treated with that distinction, 
which marks the intercourse of our Saviour with 



John vL 6. 11 John xii 22. 0 Mark xiii. 3, 



Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 9 

the other three Apostles, whose call was coin- 
cident with his. Probably it is for this reason, 
that, although he was first brought to the 
knowledge of Christ, and was invited to his 
company immediately by Christ himself, where- 
as his brother Simon received his information 
afterwards, and that from Andrew, by whom 
also he was conducted to Jesus, yet it is the 
manner of the evangelists to speak of Andrew 
by a term, less honourable personally to him, 
as " Simon Peter's brother:" and that, although 
he was, together with Simon, called to be a 
follower of Christ before James and John, the 
sons of Zebedee, and is also, together with 
Simon, mentioned before them in some enu- 
merations of the twelve Apostles p , as if priority 
of rank had been given to him on their call to 
the apostolate, yet in other enumerations he is 
not distinguished by that mark of honour, but 
his name is inserted after those of James and 
John* 1 . Certain at least it is, that we do not 
read of him, that he had the same privilege of 
being admitted to the confidential intimacy of 
our Lord, as his brother, and the two sons of 
Zebedee ; nor had he like them from our Lord 
the distinction of an appropriate surname ; the 
former having been distinguished by the sur- 



p Matt. x. 2. Luke vi. 14. * Mark iii. 17, 18. Acts i. 13. 



10 



One of his disciples , 



name of Peter, the two latter by that of Bo- 
anerges, or the sons of thunder: a distinction 
indeed, conferred upon them only, and with- 
held from Andrew in common with the rest of 
the twelve Apostles. 

The last mention, made of our Apostle in 
the sacred history, occurs after the narrative of 
our Lord's ascension. Probably indeed he was 
one of the two disciples, spoken of, but not 
named, in the 21st chapter of St. John's Gos- 
pel r . However, upon the return of the eleven 
to Jerusalem, after our Lord's ascension, we 
find him named with the rest, who assembled 
together ; and " all continued with one accord 
in prayer and supplication, with the women, 
and Marv the mother of Jesus, and with his 
brethren." Together with the other Apostles, 
he continued then for some years, preaching 
the Gospel in Judea; until the time came for 
them to go forth, and spread the knowledge of 
the Messiah " unto the uttermost part of the 
earth \" Upon the dispersion of the Apostles, 
the lot of St. Andrew appears to have been cast 
in countries to the north of Judea. There have 
not indeed been wanting those*, who have 

r See Dr. Doddridge's note on the place in his Family 
Expositor. 
8 Acts i. 8. 

1 Cited in Dr. Cave's Life of St. Andrew. 



Andrew, Simon Peter s brother. 11 

given a particular account of his travels and 
ministry, with many historical incidents, and 
much geographical detail. Such account may 
be judged to rest on no very ancient or sound 
authority. It may be sufficient to remark in 
general, that on the best evidence which we 
possess his zeal for propagating the Gospel led 
him through Cappadocia, Galatia, and Bithy- 
nia, and along the inhospitable shores of the 
Euxine sea, to the barbarous regions of Scythia: 
that thence he returned through Paphlagonia 
to Byzantium, where by Nicephorus, a patriarch 
of Constantinople, he is asserted to have in- 
structed the inhabitants in the Christian faith, 
to have founded a church for divine worship, 
and to have ordained Stachys, called by St. 
Paul " his beloved Stachys u ," first bishop of 
Byzantium; assertions however, which do not 
rest upon the credit of high antiquity : that 
from Byzantium he passed through Thrace, Ma- 
cedonia, Thessaly, and Greece, and 4 * preached 
every where " as he went, " the Lord working 
with him, and confirming the word with signs 
following until at Patrae, a city of Achaia, 
he at length fell a victim to the rage of iEgeas, 
proconsul of that country, who was indignant 
at the success of the Apostle in converting the 



u Rom. xvi. 9. 



12 



One of his disciples, 



inhabitants to the faith of Christ, and unable to 
bring them back to the worship of their false 
gods. 

The instrument of his martyrdom is generally 
supposed to have been a cross : not of the usual 
form, but of that form which is commonly de- 
signated by his name. It had been his glory 
to preach the cross ; and to the suffering and 
shame of the cross he was now devoted, not 
being nailed to it in the customary manner, 
but tied to it by cords, after having undergone 
the punishment of scourging, that his death 
might be more lingering and tedious. In this 
condition he remained for two days, still en- 
during his sufferings with resignation and cheer- 
fulness, and still preaching from the cross the 
heavenly truths for which he suffered ; till it 
pleased the Divine mercy to hear his prayers, 
to release him from his afflictions, and to permit 
him to depart in peace and seal the truth of his 
religion by his death. Thus lived the apostle 
St. Andrew ; and thus he died : a faithful fol- 
lower of a crucified Saviour throughout his life ; 
and a faithful follower of Him even to the mo- 
ment, and in the very nature and instrument, 
of his death. 



Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 13 



REFLEXIONS. 

We have thus taken a view of the history of 
St. Andrew: we now proceed to such reflexions 
as the history may suggest for our improvement. 

Andrew, the first disciple of Christ, the first 
person who is recorded as having been brought 
to a knowledge and confession of the Saviour, 
had been in the first place a disciple of John 
the Baptist. This concurrence of incidents 
may be well deemed to have proceeded from 
the special providence of God. It shews the 
wisdom of God, in that " the messenger" was 
not sent in vain to " prepare the way of the 
Lord*." It shews the efficacy of that moral 
discipline, which was taught in the school of 
the Baptist, namely, that the practice of repent- 
ance, and the " bringing forth of fruits meet 
for repentance," are an admirable introduction 
to Christian faith. Moreover it shews the con- 
nexion between the Mosaical and the Christian 
dispensations, thus associated by this interme- 
diate link ; forasmuch as he, who was in future 
to be devoted to the great Prophet of the Gos- 
pel, was introduced to his service by the last 
prophet under the Law. 



x Mai. ii'i. 1. Mark i. 2. 



14 One of his disciples ', 

To this first disciple Jesus was at once made 
known by the Baptist as " the Lamb of God 
u the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin 
of the world." What was this but for him to 
be made known under the notion of an expia- 
tory sacrifice for human sins? Neither the 
Baptist, who used the language, nor the dis- 
ciple who heard it, could have understood it 
in any other sense, inured as their minds were 
to the provisions of the Levitical law 5 and to 
the daily offerings of the altar founded there- 
upon. Besides, such language, thus under- 
stood, was quite at harmony with the custom- 
ary preaching of the Baptist. He" preached 
the baptism of repentance for the remission of 
sins ;" and he now specified the manner in 
which repented sins were to be forgiven. Let 
the idea, under which Jesus was set before the 
eyes of this his first disciple, never be absent 
from ours ! Let us never fail to behold him, as 
" the Lamb of God, which taketh away the 
sin of the world!" or, as the Evangelist St. 
John illustrates the expression of the Baptist, 
as " the propitiation for our sins : and not for 
our's only, but also for the sins of the whole 
world >'!" 

Andrew, thus apprized of the person of Jesus, 



v 1 John ii. 2. 



Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 15 



followed him for the purpose of learning his 
d welling, and of being admitted to his acquaint- 
ance and conversation. Jesus perceived his 
purpose, and invited and admitted him to his 
dwelling, and suffered him and his companion 
to " abide with him that day." What an en- 
couragement to us to do as Andrew did ! 
When did any one follow Jesus, and not re- 
ceive encouragement to go on ? When did any 
one seek him, and not find him ? When did any 
one inquire for his abode, and fail of being re- 
ceived into it, and treated with kindness greater 
than he could either desire or deserve? Let us 
not forget to follow him continually, and to 
seek him where even now he at all times vouch- 
safes to dwell, and whither he perpetually in- 
vites us to dwell with him, in his own house, in 
the services of his ministers, in the preaching of 
his word, in the administration of his sacra- 
ments, in the graces and virtues of a sober, 
righteous, and godly life ; and we shall not 
fail of finding him, of being admitted into his 
presence, and of enjoying his communion and 
converse. 

When Andrew had thus discovered the Sa- 
viour, and been received into his abode, did he 
conceal the discovery in his own breast, and 
enjoy it in selfish solitude and abstraction? 
Surely not. He imparted it to his brother 



16 



One of his disciples^ 



without delay. " We have found the Messiah/' 
said he to Simon ; " and he brought him to 
Jesus." True piety, as well as true benevo- 
lence, is of a communicative nature : the bless- 
ings, the delight, which it experiences itself, 
it is desirous of dispensing to others. Enjoy- 
ing, as it does enjoy, the light of Gods coun- 
tenance shining upon its own tabernacle, it 
feels additional pleasure in believing that others 
are as highly favoured and as happy as itself. 
It rejoices on its own account ; it rejoices also 
with and for them that rejoice : and has a 
manifold return of thanks to make to God for 
such a multiplication and extension of his good- 
ness and glory. If Andrew exulted in having 
made discovery of the Messiah, who can ques- 
tion but that his exultation was heightened and 
increased by participating it with his brother? 
Let us not deem that the spiritual blessings 
which we enjoy, the religious knowledge which 
has been vouchsafed to us, have been bestowed 
for ourselves alone ; what we have freely re- 
ceived of the knowledge of the Saviour and of 
the grace of God, let us freely give to others ! 
Let us, like Andrew, bring our brethren also 
to Jesus, and cause them to be partakers of his 
fellowship, and to concur with us in acknow- 
ledging God's mercy and in uttering forth his 
praise ! 



Andrea*, Simon Peter's brother. 17 



It is remarkable that Andrew, in announcing 
to his brother his recent joyful discovery, de- 
scribes Jesns by a different term from that un- 
der which he had received a description of him 
from the Baptist. " We have found the Mes- 
sias ;" the Evangelist adds, " which is, being- 
interpreted, the Christ," or the anointed : spe- 
cially, in this application of the name, the 
anointed of God ; the promised Saviour ; 
anointed to the high offices of Prophet, Priest, 
and King of God's redeemed. In this capa- 
city again, let us not fail to acknowledge the 
object of Andrew's faith : nor let us fail to re- 
member, that he, who in the language of An- 
drew to Peter is the Messias or the Christ, is 
likewise in the language of Peter himself " the 
Christ, the Son of the living God 7 ;" consub- 
stantial with God, the co-eternal Son of the 
eternal Father. 

Andrew, having become a disciple of Christ, 
returned nevertheless to his ordinary occupa- 
tion, and was diligently employed in the duties 
of it, when he was afterwards called to be a 
constant attendant upon our Lord. Idleness 
in the proper duties of our station and profes- 
sion in life is no recommendation of us to God 's 
notice and favour. The disciple of Christ is 

z Matt, xv i. 16, 

C 



18 



One of his disciples, 



commanded to " study to be quiet and to do 
his own business, and to work with his own 
hands a ." As we ought not to suffer our worldly 
calling to make us negligent in doing the work 
of the Lord by due attention to our religious 
exercises, so we may be assured, that the 
Lord never intends that by doing his work we 
should be made negligent in doing the particu- 
lar duty of that state of life, to which it hath 
pleased him to call us. When most diligently 
employed in the proper duties of our station, 
always understanding that those duties do not 
preclude us from the discharge of the duties 
which we owe immediately to God, we have 
then most reason to be assured that we enjoy 
the divine favour and blessing. 

From his secular business however Andrew 
was now called for a special purpose to be the 
constant attendant and follower of Jesus : and 
in obedience to the call, he together with his 
companions " forsook all and followed him.** 
What shall we say now of their conduct in this 
respect? What indeed can we reasonably say, 
but that having been witnesses of the most 
wonderful acts performed by the word of Jesus, 
acts plainly surpassing all human power to per- 
form them, acts unequivocally performed to the 



a 1 Thess. iv. 11, 



Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 19 



senses of the beholders, and upon the reality of 
which the senses were capable of deciding; 
that being themselves in full possession of their 
senses, and therefore not liable to be deceived, 
if indeed it were possible to suppose a purpose 
of deceiving thetn ; that being endowed with 
sound understandings and sobriety of mind, 
and therefore not liable to be hurried away by 
a frantiek zeal or a blind enthusiasm ; and 
having withal no temptation to espouse the 
cause of Jesus, except on the supposition of 
their conviction of its goodness, but on the con* 
trary having every worldly motive to renounce 
it; they were constrained by the resistless evir 
dence of truth to acknowledge him for their 
Lord, and to submit themselves implicitly and 
exclusively to his direction? How lovely and 
exemplary was their obedience in " forsaking 
all and following" the blessed Jesus ! How 
firm and immoveable is the foundation, which 
they have left by their obedience, for the resting- 
place of our Christian faith ! How forcible is 
the example which they have set us for " for- 
saking all and following" Christ, if he should 
ever see fit to call us to a surrender of our tem- 
poral possessions for his sake ; at all events* 
for " forsaking all" things which impede us in 
the course of our Christian calling, and for 



20 



One of his disciples, 



'< following" him in purity of heart, and rights 
ousness and holiness of life! 

Andrew had been before a disciple of Jesus. 
He was now become his constant follower and 
attendant; and so he was in the way of being 
qualified for the performance of the high office 
of a preacher of the Gospel, which his Lord in- 
tended that he should bear. But in order to 
his due discharge of that office, a special ap- 
pointment to it was requisite : and so he was 
" called and chosen" from among the other 
disciples, to be one of " the twelve whom our 
Lord also named Apostles," and was ''ordained 
and sent forth" to preach the Gospel to the 
world. " Whosoever shall call upon the name 
of the Lord, shall be saved," saith St.. Paul in 
the epistle for this day. But, as he proceeds, 
" how then shall they call on him in whom 
they have not believed? and how shall they be- 
lieve in him, of whom they have not heard ? and 
how shall they hear without a preacher? And 
how shall they preach except they be sent? As 
it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them 
that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring 
glad tidings of good things 1 '!" Whence it ap- 
pears, that as believing in the Lord is necessary 



b Rom. x. 13, 14, 15. 



Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 



21 



in order to calling upon him, and as hearing is 
necessary in order to believing, and as preach- 
ing is necessary in order to hearing ; so also for 
the preacher himself it is necessary that he be 
sent. A man may be trained in the school of 
Christ, he may be admitted into Christ's family, 
and become his stated and regular follower, 
but he is not thereby qualified to become " a 
minister of Christ and a steward of the myste- 
ries of God c ." However otherwise qualified by 
personal holiness and religious zeal, " no man 
taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is 
called of God, as was Aaron," and the Leviti- 
cal priesthood under the Law, and Andrew 
and the Apostles under the Gospel, and after 
them such as derive their office from them by 
regular transmission, being "lawfully called 
and sent to execute the same. And those we 
ought to judge lawfully called and sent, which 
be chosen and called to this work by men who 
have publick authority given unto them in the 
congregation to call and send ministers into the 
Lord's vineyard e ." Then may we reasonably 
hope, that the ministration of the preacher will, 
like that of Andrew, be in its due degree blessed 
by the Lord, when, like that of Andrew, it is 



c 1 Cor. iv. 1. 11 Heb. v. 4, 



e Art. xxiii. 



22 



One of his disciples, 



undertaken by the Lord's authority and ap- 
pointment. 

But in adverting to the success of the minis- 
try of our Apostle and his brethren in the Apo- 
stolate,how can we sufficiently admire the divine 
wisdom and power in the choice of such men 
for the propagation of the Gospel through the 
world ! The blessed Jesus appeared on earth 
for the purpose of subjecting it to the belief 
and profession of a new religion. And what 
was his appearance? A person, of a despised 
nation, of humble parentage, of a mean trade, 
of indigent circumstances, destitute of every re- 
commendation of human rank, or knowledge, 
or opulence, or power. And whom did he se- 
lect to be his instruments for this stupendous 
work? The high-born prince? the aspiring 
warrior? the subtle politician? the acute philo- 
sopher? the rich, the wise, the mighty, the noble 
ones of the earth ? Nay ; but he chose the 
simple fisherman, the industrious tent maker, 
the despised publican ; men, scorned as Jews 
by the rest of mankind, and as the meanest, 
and in some cases as the worst, of the Jews by 
the Jews themselves. " Ye see your calling, 
brethren," saith St. Paul, " how that not many 
wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not 
many noble are called : but God hath chosen 



Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 23 



the foolish things of the world to confound the 
wise ; and God hath chosen the weak things of 
the world to confound the things which are 
mighty ; and base things of the world, and 
things which are despised, hath God chosen, 
yea, and things which are not, to bring to 
nought things that are." And so the Gospel 
of God went forth conquering and to conquer, 
triumphing over the prejudices, the superstitions, 
the pride, the selfishness of the world ; over the 
stubbornness of the Jew, the learning of the 
Greek, the ignorance of the barbarian, the more 
than barbarian savageness of the Scythian, to 
whom our Apostle was commissioned to " do 
the work of an evangelist," and the power and 
grandeur of imperial Rome; "that no flesh 
should glory in his presence," and that " our 
faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, 
but in the power of God." 

Such reflexions may appear not unfit to oc- 
cupy our minds on this festival of "the holy 
Apostle St. Andrew," the first called of the 
disciples, one of the first called of the Apostles, 
of our blessed Lord. And that these reflexions 
may produce their due effect upon our minds 
and hearts, let us offer our prayers in conclu- 
sion for the divine blessing ; adopting for that 
purpose the language, provided upon this and 



24 



One of Ms disciples, 



upon some other occasions in the Liturgy of our 
apostolical and scriptural Church. 

Collect for the day. 

46 Almighty God, who didst give such grace 
to thy holy Apostle St. Andrew, that he readily 
obeyed the calling of thy Son Jesus Christ, 
and followed him without delay : Grant unto 
us all, that we, being called by thy holy word, 
may forthwith give up ourselves obediently to 
fulfil thy holy commandments; through the 
same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen" 

Coiled for the second Sunday after Easter, 

" Almighty God, who hast given thine only 
Son to be unto us both a sacrifice for sin, and 
also an ensample of godly life; Give us grace 
that we may always most thankfully receive 
that his inestimable benefit, and also dailv en- 
deavour ourselves to follow the blessed steps 
of his most holy life ; through the same Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. Amen" 

The second Collect for Good Friday. 
" Almighty and everliving God, by whose 
Spirit the whole body of the Church is governed 
and sanctified ; Receive our supplications and 
prayers which we offer before thee for all 



Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 25 



estates of men in thy holy Church, that every 
member of the same, in his vocation and minis- 
try, may truly and godly serve thee ; through 
our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

The Jirsl Collect in the Ember iveeks. 

" Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who 
hast purchased to thyself an universal Church 
by the precious blood of thy dear Son ; Mer- 
cifully look upon the same, and so guide and 
govern the minds of thy servants, the Bishops 
and Pastors of thy flock, that they may lay 
hands suddenly on no man, but faithfully and 
wisely make choice of fit persons to serve in 
the sacred ministry of thy Church. And to 
those which are ordained to any holy function 
give thy grace and heavenly benediction, that 
both by their life and doctrine they may set 
forth thy glory, and set forward the salvation 
of all men; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen? 

Who leads the glorious company 

The Apostles' sainted band ? 
First on the roll of duty see 

The holy Andrew stand. 

He first the promised Saviour sought 

Within his low abode ; 
And whom he found, to others taught, 

The Christ and Lamb of God. 



One of his disciples, SfC. 



And he, among the first, the call 
To tend his Lord obey'd ; 

Forsook his ship, his home, his all ; 
And follow'd where he led. 

" Fisher of men," by night, by day, 

His ready toils he set ; 
Intent to close his captive prey 

Within the Gospel net: 

Nor scrupled he to yield his breath, 

By many a labour tried, 
And die with willing mind the death 

By which his Master died. 

And now his name with service meet 
Leads on the sacred year: 

And bids the Church prepare to greet 
The Saviour's Advent near. 



ST. THOMAS. 



Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus. 
John xx. 24. 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ST. THOMAS. 

THE second Saint, whom the Church com- 
memorates in the course of the ecclesiastical 
year, is Thomas the Apostle and Martyr. St. 
Andrew is supposed to be the first, because the 
first called to the knowledge of Christ. With 
reference to which it has been remarked by Mr. 
Wheatley, that " St. Thomas's day seems to be 
placed next, not because he was the second that 
believed Jesus to be the Messiah, but the last 
that believed his resurrection : of which though 
he was at first the most doubtful, yet he had 
afterwards the greatest evidence of its truth ; 
which the Church recommends to our medita- 
tion at this season, as a fit preparative to our 
Lord^s Nativity. For unless we believe with 
St. Thomas, that the same Jesus, whose birth 
we immediately after commemorate, is the ve 



28 



Thomas, one of the twelve, 



Christ, ' our Lord and our God/ neither his 
birth, death, nor resurrection will avail us any 

thing." 

Whether or not much weight be due to this 
argument for the early celebration of St. Tho- 
mases day, the martyrologies notice the death of 
the Apostle on the 21st of December, which is 
his festival in the West a : and it is plain that in 
several cases the order of arrangement is nc$ 
founded on any such consideration. Indeed, 
if the fact be, as it is elsewhere and upon good 
authority stated by Bishop Sparrow, that the 
festivals are generally celebrated on the sup- 
posed day of the death of the Saint then com- 
memorated, called by the ancients his birth-day, 
as being that whereon he was born a citizen of 
heaven, of the Church triumphant, we need not 
look further for the reason of the place which 
any individual holds in the calendar, than to the 
time when his death is supposed to have oc- 
curred : so that the day appropriated to the 
commemoration of St. Thomas may be founded 
on an historical and chronological reason, ra- 
ther than on a theological one. And this re- 
mark may be borne in mind, as applying to the 
greater part of the other Saints commemorated 
in our yearly services. 



a Calrnet's Dictionary. 



called Didymus. 



29 



The Saint of this day is spoken of by St. John, 
as "Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didy- 
mus that is, the twin, or the twin-brother: 
such, being the signification of the two names, 
the former in the Hebrew, the latter in the 
Greek language. In which language he bore 
the latter name, according to a custom which 
prevailed amongst the Jews, when travelling into 
foreign countries, or familiarly conversing with 
Greeks and Romans, to assume to themselves 
a Greek or Latin name of great affinity, and 
sometimes of the very same signification, with 
that of their own country 1 '. Perhaps Thomas 
was a native of some place inhabited both by 
the Jews and Greeks, such as was the region of 
Decapolis ; and so the Jews called him by his 
Hebrew, and the Greeks by his Greek, name. 

Of the country and family of Thomas the 
history of the Gospel gives no particular in- 
formation. From a passage in St. John's 21st 
chapter it is probable that he was a fisherman 
on the sea of Tiberias, as it is there called, or 
the sea of Galilee or lake of Gennesareth. It is 
also probable that he was associated with Peter 
and Andrew and the two sons of Zebedee, to- 
gether with whom he is on that occasion de- 
scribed, as engaged after our Lord's resurrec- 



b Dr. Cave's Life of St. Thomas, 



30 Thomas, one of the twelve, 



tion in following the business of their calling. 
Thus he may have been at first brought to a 
knowledge of our Saviour through his con- 
nexion with them. But we are uninformed of 
every particular concerning his conversion and 
his early following of Jesus ; the first occur- 
rence of his name in the sacred history being 
in the catalogue of the twelve Apostles, as one 
of whom he is mentioned by the three first 
Evangelists, but without any special mark of 
distinction 0 . 

Nor in the progress of the sacred history is 
he much distinguished from the rest of the 
twelve. By the three Evangelists, who notice 
his call to the apostleship, he is not again men- 
tioned except by St. Luke in his enumeration 
of the eleven who were present at our Lord's 
ascension d . St. John alone relates any parti- 
culars concerning him. 

On the first occasion of his being so men- 
tioned, he is distinguished in a manner which 
reflects honour upon him for his zealous and 
intrepid attachment to his Master: for when, 
after the death of Lazarus, the other disciples 
dissuaded Jesus from going, as he purposed, 
into Judea, lest the Jews, who " had of late 
sought to stone" him, should repeat their mur- 

« Matt. x. 3. Mark iii. 18. Luke vi, 15. 
d Acts i. 13. 



called Didymus. 31 



derous attempt, Thomas professed his readiness 
to attend upon his Master, and encouraged his 
fellow-disciples to the same noble resolution, 
by saying, ff Let us also go, that we may die 
with him e ." 

But if upon this occasion he was distinguished 
for the goodness and honesty of his heart, he 
was upon another less favourably marked by the 
dulness of his apprehension, and his want of 
spiritual discernment : for such appears to be 
the character of his language, when in answer to 
our Lord's assurance to his disciples a short time 
before his death, that " in his Father's house 
were many mansions," that he was " going to 
prepare a place for them," and that he would 
" come again and receive them unto him- 
self," accompanied by his affirmation, " And 
whither 1 go ye know, and the way ye know;" 
the consolatory promise and assertion of the 
Master were met by ah avowal of ignorance on 
our Apostle's part, " Lord, we know not whi- 
ther thou goest ; and how can we know the 

f i" 
way ? 

A third and a still more memorable occasion, 
on which this Apostle is presented to our notice, 
is that which is alluded to in the Collect, and 
related in the Gospel, for the day ; namely, his 



e John xi. 16. 



f John xiv. 5. 



32 Thomas, otie of the twelve, 



6i doubtfulness in our Lord's resurrection 
an occasion, memorable indeed, whether we 
consider, as we shall presently proceed to con- 
sider, his refusal to believe the testimony of the 
other disciples, that " they had seen the Lord ;" 
or the sensible testimony which he required for 
the foundation of his own faith ; or the vast 
condescension and benignity of our Lord in 
granting the required proof ; or the signal and 
most illustrious confession of his faith, there- 
upon uttered by the Apostle; or the manner in 
which his Lord accepted and replied to that 
confession s. Convinced by what he then saw 
and heard, our Apostle no more doubted. On 
other occasions however he was again admitted 
to the sight and conversation of his Lord ; on 
one he is mentioned by name, as among certain 
disciples to whom " Jesus shewed himself h 
on others he is included in the number of the 
eleven. Together with his brethren in the 
apostleship he was present at the last appear- 
ance of our Lord on earth; and partook of his 
final benediction ; and " worshipped him \" 
and " beheld, while he was taken up," till 44 a 
cloud received him out of their sight 5 and 
together with them he " gave with great power 



§ John xx. 24—29. 

1 Acts i. 0, 13. Luke xxiv. 52. 



John xxi. 2. 



called Didymus. 



33 



witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus k ," 
who had thus " shewed himself alive to them 
after his passion by many infallible proofs." 

Upon the dispersion of the Apostles to preach 
the Gospel " to the uttermost parts of the earth," 
the lot of St. Thomas appears to have been cast 
in the eastern regions. The province assigned 
to him, as we are informed by Origen in the 
third century, was Parthia : after which we 
learn from the ecclesiastical historian Eusebius, 
and other ancient writers, that he published the 
doctrine of a crucified and risen Saviour to the 
Medes, the Persians, the Carmanians, the Hyr- 
canians, the Bactrians, and other neighbouring 
nations. In Persia he is said to have met with 
the Magi, who brought presents to the new-born 
Saviour; to have baptized them ; and to have 
taken them with him as his companions and 
assistants in the propagation of the Gospel. 
Chrysostom in the fourth century intimates, 
that he preached with success in Ethiopia, 
namely, in the Asian Ethiopia, bordering on, if 
not the same as, Chaldea; and by Gregory 
Nazianzen an author of about the same period, 
by Jerome, and by others of the fathers, he is 
alleged to have spread his doctrine over the 
country of the Brahmins, along the coasts of 



k Acts iv. 33. 
D 



34 



Thomas, one of the twelve, 



the great Indian Peninsula, and in the islands 
of the Indian seas 1 . 

The intercourse opened with India by the 
commercial enterprises of the Portuguese in the 
fifteenth century has been thought to corrobo- 
rate the statements of these early Christian 
writers concerning the propagation of the Gos- 
pel in that country by St. Thomas, " partly 
from ancient monuments and writings, and 
partly from constant and uncontrolled tradi- 
tions, which the Christians, whom they found 
in those parts, preserved amongst them 111 ." A 
race of Christians has been ascertained to exist 
in India, not far from the coasts of Malabar, 
and amongst the hills at the bottom of the 
great mountains of Malayala", unquestionably 
of very high antiquity, and claiming their spi- 
ritual descent from our Apostle. Proofs of 
his having visited their country, and established 
in it the faith of the Gospel, are alleged under 
different forms. The name which they bear of 
the Christians of St. Thomas, is supposed to 
have been derived from the Apostle. At Cran- 
ganore tradition designates the spot, where 

I For more particulars the reader is referred to Dr. Cave's 
Life of St. Thomas. 

m Dr. Cave. 

II Dr. Buchanan's Christian Researches in India. 



called Didymus. 



35 



he first landed on the Indian soil. At Paroor 
the church, which is said to be the most ancient 
in Malabar, is distinguished by his name. In- 
scriptions are related to have been found re- 
cording his mission by the Son of God into 
those countries, to instruct them in the know- 
ledge of the true God. And memorials of him 
are preserved in their sacred rites, which they 
assert to have been derived from the very time 
of the Apostle; especially in their solemn cele- 
bration of the Sunday after Easter, as comme- 
morative of the noble confession which St. Tho- 
mas then made of Christ 0 . It must not how- 
ever be concealed, that whatever support these 
circumstances may appear to lend to the pre- 
vious narration of India having been one of 
the scenes of our Apostle^s ministry, there have 
not been wanting those who have contended, 
that these circumstances are delusive; and 
particularly that the name which distinguishes 
these Indian Christians is derived from another 
holy man, a Syrian of the name of Thomas, to 
whom indeed they are indebted for their know- 
ledge of Christianity, but at a time some cen- 
turies later than that of our Apostie p . 

The uncertainty, which hangs over the travels 

0 See for these particulars Dr. Cave's Life of St. Thomas, 
and Dr. Buchanan's Christian Researches. 
p Dean Stanhope on the Epistles and Gospels, 



36 Thomas, one of the twelve, 



of St. Thomas, naturally extends itself to the 
place and particulars of his death. It has how- 
ever been generally received, that he fell a vic- 
tim to the malice of the Brahmins, who found 
their idolatry endangered by his preaching; 
and that he was thrust through with a lance by 
one of their followers at the instigation of 
the priests, near Malipur, a city of Coromandel, 
where he had lately caused a church to be 
erected for divine worship. His body was 
taken up by his disciples, and buried in the 
same church. And though the Greeks con- 
tend that it was carried to Edessa, a city in 
Mesopotamia, where great honour has been al- 
ways paid to his memory, yet the Christians of 
the East constantly affirm it to have remained 
in the place of his martyrdom. If India was 
the scene of his ministry, it may reasonably be 
thought to have been also the scene of his 
death and burial : and many particulars, related 
upon those subjects, carry in themselves an ap- 
pearance of probability, though they are mixed 
up with others of a superstitious nature, which 
exceed the bounds of rational belief q . 

TS T o writings remain to us of the composition 
of this Apostle. A Gospel was attributed to 
him in the early ages of Christianity ; but it is 
reprobated by Eusebius, together with some 

H They may be seen in Dr. Cave's Life of the Apostle. 



called Didymus. 



37 



other forgeries of hereticks attributed to other 
Apostles, with this judgment, that they are not 
so much as to be reckoned among' the spurious, 
but are to be rejected as altogether absurd and 
impious r . 

REFLEXIONS. 

In reflecting upon the life and character of 
St. Thomas, we may first admire his fortitude 
and fidelity, in encouraging his fellow-disciples 
to accompany Jesus to Judea, even though the 
journey should lead to their death in company 
with him ; " Let us also go that we may die 
with him :" a proposal, which seems to have 
been made in the honesty and simplicity of his 
heart ; and of which the most natural and ob- 
vious as w 7 ell as the best interpretation appears 
to be, Though this purposed journey of our 
Lord may and probably will conduct him to 
his death, let us not forsake him, but attend him 
rather through all his difficulties and dangers 
even to the last fatal extremity 5 . And surely 
such a proposal reflects honour upon the affec- 
tion, courage, and holy resolution of the Apo- 
stle : at the same time it offers him as an exam- 
ple for our imitation, and admonishes us to re- 
solve likewise to adhere stedfastly to our Sa- 
viour, and never to desert him however we may 

r Dr. Lardner's Credibility. 8 Dean Stanhope, 



38 



Thomas, one of the twelve, 



be beset with difficulties and threatened witf, 
dangers for our adherence. If the same Apo- 
stle was afterwards one of those, who in the time 
of trial " forsook him and fled," the failure of 
his courage may prompt us to deplore the in- 
constancy and frailty of human nature, and its 
ignorance of its own insufficiency, even when 
its intentions are the best : and it may accord- 
ingly prompt us to " watch and pray that we 
enter not into temptation," or may have strength 
that we may be able to bear it; and especially 
to beseech our " holy and merciful Saviour," 
that he will " suffer us not," either " at our last" 
or at any intervening " hour," for any terrors or 
" for any pains of death to fall from Him." 

2dly, The ignorance professed by St. Tho- 
mas, concerning the place whither our Lord 
was going, and the way which led to it, shews 
a dulness of apprehension, and a want of spi- 
ritual discernment, the result of those worldly 
prepossessions which clung generally to the 
Apostles during our Lord's ministry. They 
expected him to establish a temporal kingdom. 
And it is probable that St. Thomas, under the 
influence of this delusion, supposed it to be 
our Lord's intention to remove to some splendid 
earthly mansion, fit for the reception and abode 
of a powerful sovereign 1 . Careful attention 

1 Dr. Doddridge's Family Expositor. 



called Didymus. 39 



to our Lord's own declarations might have dis- 
sipated the delusion ; and enabled him to see 
clearly the spiritual nature of our Lord's pre- 
tensions, and the true tendency of his lan- 
guage. Taught by his error, let us endeavour 
to liberate our minds from those prepossessions 
and prejudices, which are apt to cloud and 
obscure their discernment of religious truth. 
Let us devote ourselves to a dispassionate, 
unprejudiced, and impartial contemplation of 
God's holy word. And profiting by the an- 
swer, which the blessed Jesus graciously re- 
turned to the Apostle's profession of ignorance, 
let us not fail to regard him as " the way, the 
truth, and the life;" the way to guide us, the 
truth to enlighten us, and the life to animate us, 
in our search after happiness ; the avenue, by 
which alone any man can come into the Father's 
presence, whither he is gone before, and whither 
it behoves us to labour diligently to follow. 

3dly, We pass on to the incredulity of our 
Apostle on the subject of our Lord's resurrec- 
tion. Jesus had shewn himself to his disciples 
after his resurrection, and his disciples had re- 
lated it to Thomas, " who was not with them 
when Jesus came." But how did he receive 
their relation ? " The other disciples said unto 
him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto 
them, Except I shall see in his hands the print 



40 



Thomas, one of the twelve. 



of the nails, and put my finger into the print 
of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I 
will not believe." Strange declaration! why 
should he refuse to believe? What room could 
there have been for mistake on the part of the 
other Apostles? What motive could they have 
had for misinforming and misleading him? Why 
should he doubt their capability of judging ? 
why their veracity in relating? Rather, why 
should he not give full credit to their assertion 
of an event, which, wonderful as it was in itself, 
was at the same time at harmony with the won- 
derful works which he had continually seen 
his Lord perform, and agreeable to the promise 
of rising again from the dead, which he had re- 
peatedly heard his Lord deliver? Did the fact 
related bely the assurances of divine wisdom ? 
did it exceed the compass of divine power? 
Thus the incredulity of Thomas betrays a want 
of reliance on the discernment or integrity of his 
brethren, and a backwardness in admitting 
truth upon sufficient testimony, together with a 
want of faith in the perfections of his Lord, 
which, especially in a person possessed of his 
opportunities of forming a better judgment, can- 
not but be esteemed worthy of no inconsiderable 
degree of blame. 

But it was productive of valuable results. 
One of these is the very narrative itself of the 



called Didymus. 



41 



occurrence ; for it is a proof of the candour and 
sincerity, of the simplicity and fidelity, of the 
Evangelist, that he has recorded an event of 
this kind, little creditable as it is to one of 
the Apostles of our Lord, and little calculated 
to recommend to the world the testimony of 
the others. But so it is : and so we find it to 
be in other instances, that the sacred historians 
appear little solicitous of what may be the effect 
of their statements, whilst they state openly and 
distinctly the transactions, of which they were 
witnesses. Thus the meanness of the con- 
dition of the four first called Apostles, and the 
offensive character of that of Matthew ; the 
ambition and intemperate zeal of the two sons 
of Zebedee, the worldly prepossessions of the 
twelve in general, and their mutual contentions 
for pre-eminence, the treachery of Judas, the 
denial of Peter, the desertion and flight of the 
rest, their subsequent " unbelief and hardness of 
heart/' the dulness of apprehension which 
has been already noticed in Thomas, and now 
his incredulity and disbelief, are recorded 
in the Gospels without disguise or reserve. 
Whatever discredit they may have been calcu- 
lated to bring on the Apostles and on their re- 
ligion, whilst the narrators employ no means to 
aggravate the offence, they take no care to ex- 
cuse or extenuate it, or to bespeak the in- 
dulgence of the reader in its behalf. A plain, 



42 



Thomas, one of the twelve, 



unadulterated, immutilated statement of facts 
was the evident object of their labours: and 
conscious that they spake nothing but the truth 
themselves, they were contented to leave their 
testimony to operate as it might upon the minds 
of others. 

In this respect the " doubtfulness" of St- 
Thomas " in our Lord's resurrection" may be 
thought to tend " to the more confirmation of 
the truth/' as the Collect for the day expresses 
it ; by leading us to appreciate more justly and 
more highly the character of the sacred his- 
torians. But it has the same tendency in a 
more direct manner. The incredulous Apostle 
had declared, " Except I shall see in his hands 
the print of the nails, and put my finger into 
the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into 
his side, I will not believe/' The benevolent 
Saviour had compassion on the weakness of 
the well-intentioned but ill-judging man : and 
accordingly at his next appearance amongst 
his disciples, after eight days, when " Thomas 
was with them/' having first addressed them 
all in general with the gracious salutation 
" Peace be unto you, ,J> he turned in parti- 
cular to the over-scrupulous unbeliever, and 
he saith unto Thomas, " Reach hither thy 
finger, and behold my hands: and reach hi- 
ther thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and 
be not faithless, but believing." Thus the 



called Didymus. 



43 



person of the crucified Saviour, the pierced 
hands and the wounded side, were sub- 
mitted to the closest scrutiny ; and his reality 
and identity were proved by that specifick trial 
of the senses, which Thomas, instead of being- 
satisfied with the general testimony of his bre- 
thren, sufficient as that testimony might well 
have been esteemed by any rational inquirer, 
had so unreasonably prescribed for the rule of 
his belief. 

What support and strength must have been 
thus administered to the faith of those, who 
had previously believed ! What conviction must 
have prevailed over the doubts of him who had 
believed not ! What an expressive comment 
does the transaction supply upon the language 
of the Evangelist in the commencement of his 
first epistle, " That which was from the be- 
ginning, which we have heard, which we have 
seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, 
and our hands have handled of the word of 
life ; ***** That which we have seen and heard, 
declare we unto you." And what " confirma- 
tion of the faith" can we possibly desire more 
perfect than this; namely, that a fact so im- 
portant as the event of our Lord's resurrection, 
in common with the other facts of the Gospel 
history, should have been unreservedly wit- 
nessed and carefully weighed and examined by 



44 



Thomas, one of the twelve, 



competent and unexceptionable observers, and 
afterwards should be delivered unto us by them 
" who from the beginning were eve-witnesses 
and ministers of the word V It has been well 
observed upon this transaction by Dr. Dod- 
dridge, that one of the most subtle of modern 
objectors " could find out no more plausible 
objection against this evidence of theresurrection 
of Christ, than to say that the disciples were 
deceived in what they imagined they saw, 
heard, and felt: which, if granted, would be in 
effect to allow, that no men could be competent 
judges of any fact whatsoever relating to their 
own sensations, and consequently would over- 
throw all human testimony in courts of judica- 
ture and elsewhere." 

But how amiable, how venerable, how ador- 
able were the benignity and condescension of 
our Lord in vouchsafing to the incredulous Apo- 
stle the very proof which he required ! Truly, 
had he chosen to leave him to the consequences 
of his incredulity, who could have found fault? 
who could have wondered ? He had given him 
evidence enough to convince him in the plain 
and unbiassed testimony of his brethren ; such 
testimony, as was judged and as was proved 
sufficient for the conversion of an unbelieving 



a Luke i. 2. 



called Didymus. 



45 



world. If Thomas failed of being convinced, 
the defect was on his part, not on that of our 
blessed Lord. Nevertheless he graciously 
"helped the unbelief" of the weak Apostle. 
He gave him the evidence, all that he desired 
and more than he deserved, to banish from his 
mind all scruple and doubtfulness. He reached 
forth his hand, marked as it was with the signs 
of the price paid for our salvation, to rescue 
and to save him, sinking and about to perish in 
the waves of unbelief, and brought him safe 
unto the haven where he would be. O ! let us 
therefore praise the Lord for his goodness ; and 
magnify that mercy which pitied the error and 
infirmity of his fro ward servant, and has assured 
us by this example, as he perpetually assures 
us by his word, that " it is not his will that any 
of his little ones should perish." 

The effect is an abundant source of satisfac- 
tion and delight. The sight and address of Je- 
sus; the sight, whereby he was identified with 
the Apostle^s well-known Master; the address, 
which by a repetition of the very words uttered 
by the Apostle testified the omniscience of the 
speaker ; convinced the doubtful disciple. They 
at once dispersed his scruples ; they caused him 
to be "no longer faithless, but believing ;" they 
filled him at once with a holy faith, and they 
prompted him to pour forth his faith in the 



46 



Thomas, one of the twelve. 



language of humble confession or devout ado- 
ration ; for " Thomas answered and said unto 
him, My Lord and my God.'* 

No mere expression this of astonishment and 
surprise; no fond ejaculation of admiration; 
no extravagant effusion of feeling, indistinct and 
indefinite. It was an " answer" to the person, 
who in the preceding words had addressed 
himself to the Apostle : it was an address in 
return to that very person himself : it was an 
invocation, of which that person was the object, 
or an affirmation, of which he was the subject : 
so that whether we understand the Apostle as 
saying-, O Thou my Lord and my God, or, 
Thou art my Lord and my God, the words are 
a most illustrious acknowledgment of the domi- 
nion and deity of the person to whom they are 
addressed. "I call this the noblest confes- 
sion, " observes Dean Stanhope, " because the 
Catholick interpreters of Scripture have under- 
stood by it, that St. Thomas did not only re- 
cognise Jesus for the Messiah, the very same 
Lord to whom he had been a servant and com- 
panion during the space of his ministry; but 
that he moreover owned his divine nature, and 
drew the consequence to himself, which St. 
Paul did afterwards to the Romans, that 'the 
resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and the 
power' he exerted in it, did abundantly 'declare 



called Didymus. 



47 



him to be the very Son of God.' * * * So mighty, 
so sudden a change do we find in this Apostle, 
that the person, of whom so lately he could not 
be prevailed upon to think otherwise than as a 
dead man, lost to all hopes, all possibility, of 
returning, he now admires and adores, as the 
Almighty and the Everliving God." 

But what was our Lord's conduct, what was 
his language, upon this momentous occasion? 
Does he reprove the Apostle for addressing to 
him these lofty appellations ? Does he reject 
the application of the appellations to himself ? 
Does he say ? " See thou do it not;*' see thou 
speak not to me in such terms as these : I am 
not thy Lord ; I am not thy God : I am a mere 
man as thou art ; at the best I am but a celes- 
tial, an angelical creature? We hear no ap- 
proach to reproof of the Apostle for the ex- 
travagance of his salutation : we hear no traces 
of a rejection of the salutation in our Saviour's 
reply : we hear no denial of his claim to the 
titles thus attributed to him. On the contrary 
we perceive him listening with complacency to 
the tribute of veneration tendered by the Apo- 
stle, and we hear him remarking upon his con- 
version with a dignity, and pronouncing a bene- 
diction upon others with an authority, well be- 
coming (as we humbly suppose) his communion 
in the divine nature. " Thomas, because thou 



48 



Thomas, one of the twelve, 



hast seen, thou hast believed : blessed are they 
that have not seen, and yet have believed." 
Admitting the language of St. Thomas to be 
correctly represented above, (and it were difficult 
indeed rationally to represent it otherwise ;) ad- 
mitting it, that is, to bear properly the significa- 
tion of attributing sovereignty and divinity to 
the blessed Jesus, the reply of Jesus cannot be 
otherwise understood, than as an acceptance 
of the homage and an appropriation of the at- 
tributes to himself. 

But there is another view to be taken of our 
Saviour's reply, with particular reference to the 
occurrence which gave occasion to the dialogue. 
Forbearing with his characteristick mildness 
to utter any reproof of the Apostle for his pre- 
vious incredulity, he still takes occasion to in- 
timate that his faith would have been more ex- 
cellent, if he had believed without such sensible 
and demonstrative evidence ; and to guard 
against that incredulity being brought into an 
injurious precedent by others, in justification of 
the like incredulity on their parts, or as a ground 
of expecting the like sensible proofs for its re- 
moval. To those, to whom the resurrection of 
Jesus, that corner stone of the Gospel, was 
thenceforth and in future ages to be preached, 
the evidence, on which their faith was to be 
built, was the evidence not of sight, but of the 



called Didymus. 



49 



duly authenticated teaching of the Apostles. 
Men were to be called upon to believe, not 
what they had themselves seen, but what they 
should receive upon the testimony, first deli- 
vered by word of mouth, and then in written 
documents, of those who had. " Faith" was to 
" come by hearing 3 ." Such testimony, our 
Lord knew, would be sufficient, not to com- 
pel, but to induce belief ; not to force convic- 
tion upon the reluctant gainsayer, but to per., 
suade the reasonable inquirer, and to satisfy the 
intelligent, the candid, and the willing mind. 
More than such testimony, he knew, would not 
be necessary: nor, if required at all, would it 
be required under circumstances corresponding 
with those of our Apostle; nor if granted, 
would it tend, as in the case of our Apostle, " to 
the more confirmation of the faith nor would 
the granting of it be consistent with the divine 
economy in the establishment of a standing re- 
velation of his will. Upon all expectations there- 
fore of further evidence, than that which should 
be transmitted from the Apostles, our Saviour 
in this reply to Thomas imposes an implied 
prohibition. At the same time upon those, who 
should duly inquire into the evidence provided 
for them, and be persuaded, and believe, he 
pronounces a blessing: a blessing, which may 



1 Rom. x. 17. 

E 



50 Thomas, one of the twelve, 



well make us content that we " have not seen" 
our risen Saviour with our own eyes, provided 
we have faith in his resurrection upon the credit 
of those who have ; and add to our faith the 
ingenuous confession of the Apostle ; and ac- 
knowledge him and call upon him as " our Lord 
and our God." 

We conclude our reflexions upon the Saint 
of the day with the Collect provided by the 
Church. " Almighty and everliving God, who 
for the more confirmation of the faith didst suf- 
fer thy holy Apostle Thomas to be doubtful in 
thy Son's resurrection ; Grant us so perfectly, 
and without ail doubt, to believe in thy Son 
Jesus Christ, that our faith in thy sight may 
never be reproved. Hear us, O Lord, through 
the same Jesus Christ, to whom, with thee and 
the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, now 
and for evermore. Amen." 

And " b grant to us. Lord, we beseech thee, 
the spirit to think and do always such things as 
be rightful ; that we, who cannot do any thing 
that is good without thee, may by thee be en- 
abled to live according to thy will ; through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen " 

And 44 ' grant, we" moreover " beseech thee, 
Almighty God, that like as we do believe thy 

b Collect for the ninth Sunday after Trinity. 
c Collect for the Ascension Day. 



called Didymus. 



51 



only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to 
have ascended into the heavens, so we may 
also in heart and mind thither ascend, and with 
him continually dwell, who liveth and reigneth 
with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world 
without end. Amen" 

Rash was the word : " Except I see 
The hands which bore him on the tree; 
Till on those hands my fingers trace 
The thrilling nail's indented place ; 
And till my hand be close applied, 
_ And feel the spear-print in his side; 
Know, I believe not." Rashly said, 
Thomas, that word thy doubts betray 'd. 

" Reach forth, and let thy finger trace 
Here the sharp nail's indented place ; 
Reach forth, and be thine hand applied 
To feel the spear-print in my side : 
See and believe !" The Apostle knew 
The voice, the form, the features true ; 
Doubt tied: and answering faith avow'd, 
" My Lord art thou, and thou my God !" 

O Thou, whose ear at distance heard 
Thy faltering servant's wayward word, 
Whose voice reproved the fond demand, 
Whose form endured the searching hand ; 
O may the doubt, which vex'd his breast, 
Make us with strong assurance blest; 
Whilst taught by his belief we see 
Thy Father's glory shrin'd in Thee ! 



ST. STEPHEN. 



Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost. 
Acts vi. 5. 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ST. STEPHEN. 

THE Saint of this day is St. Stephen, the 
leader of " the noble army of " Christian " mar- 
tyrs \ yy and being the only martyr, who in 
that character alone is commemorated by the 
Church, he may be esteemed the representative 
of that illustrious body. 

The commemoration of men, distinguished 
for their martyrdom to the faith, is of very early 
date in the annals of Christianity. The Churches 
of Antioch and Smyrna instituted festivals in 
honour of their respective bishops, Ignatius and 
Polycarp, both disciples of St. John, from the 
periods of their martyrdom. And the rest of the 
primitive churches appear to have adopted the 
same practice with regard to the more eminent 
of their own martyrs a . 

a For some of the observations at the commencement of 
this Article, I am indebted to a Sermon of Archbishop 
Seeker. 



54 



Stephen, a man full of faith 



But by degrees the multiplicity of these 
festivals became very improper and inconve- 
nient: persons, distinguished as sufferers in one 
Church, were adopted into the liturgies of 
others; other persons were admitted, who had 
been eminently good, but had not <; resisted 
unto blood whilst others again in subsequent 
ages were allowed to partake of the high dis- 
tinction, without due inquiry into their preten- 
sions. Meanwhile the manner of celebrating 
them had been permitted to exceed the bounds 
of moderation, and even of piety. The feeling 
effusions of grateful respect and affection, 
wherein the Saint was at first called upon, as if 
present, under the rhetorical forms of apostrophe 
and exclamation, by degrees led to the belief that 
he was present in reality, and deviated into 
addresses of literal invocation and adoration. 
No longer regarded merely as a witness to the 
faith of Christ, he was admitted to share the 
Saviour's mediatorial character, if not to in- 
fringe the divine attribute of being the sole 
author and giver of all good things to men. 

At the Reformation these evils were felt and 
corrected. Almost all the other Protestant 
Churches, deterred by the unjustifiable practices 
of the Church of Rome, abolished both the abuse 
and the use. But our Church, with her charac- 
teristick moderation and discretion, whilst she 



and of the Holy Ghost, 



55 



removed the evil, retained the good. She per- 
petuated the commemoration of none but such 
saints only, and those the principal ones, who 
are mentioned in the New Testament : and of 
such the only saint commemorated solely upon 
the ground of his being a martyr, is St. Stephen, 
w 7 ho, as he is distinguished by being the first 
of that " noble army," so is the only one of 
the primitive Christians, the manner of whose 
death is related at large in holy writ. Mean- 
while from her commemorative services she ex- 
cluded every thing exceptionable ; and thus 
made them occasions, not of unduly magnify- 
ing the creature, but of glorifying the Creator 
for the virtues and sufferings of his servants. 

The festival of St. Stephen was celebrated in 
early times : but why it was celebrated at this 
particular season of the year, is matter of con- 
jecture rather than of certainty. It appears 
clear indeed, that neither this festival of St. 
Stephen, nor those of St. John and the Holy 
Innocents, which immediately succeed, coincide 
with the periods of the death and sufferings of 
the persons respectively commemorated. But 
they are supposed to follow the high festival of 
our Lord's nativity, because none were thought 
fitter attendants on the birth of Christ, than the 
blessed martyrs, who have laid down their lives 
for him, from whom they have received spiri- 



56 Stephen, a man full of faith 



tual and eternal life. Accordingly it has been 
observed by ritualists, that whereas " there are 
three kinds of martyrdom ; the first in will and 
deed, which is the highest ; the second in will, 
but not in deed; and the third in deed, but not 
in will ; of which the first was undergone by 
St. Stephen, the second by St. John, and the 
third by the Holy Innocents ; in this order they 
attend V 

It has also been supposed, that " the first 
place was assigned to St. Stephen, because he 
was the pro to- martyr ; the second to St. John, 
because his death falling upon the festival of 
another John, namely the Baptist, and there 
being good reason why they should be honoured 
with separate days, no day could be assigned to 
the Evangelist more proper than that he should 
be near his Master, he being * the disciple whom 
Jesus loved/ And the Innocents might well 
pretend to the third, because, as St. Cyprian 
saith, ' the slaughter of the Innocents was the 
first considerable consequent of his birth c ." 

Such are the reasons generally given for the 
concurrence of these three holydays : whilst, 
specially with regard to the martyrdom of St. 
Stephen following the great solemnity of Christ- 

h Bishop Sparrow's Rationale. 

c L'Estraftge's Alliance of Divine Offices. 



and of the Holy Ghost. 



57 



mas, the Church has been said to have "joined 
these two festivals together, that we might ob- 
serve the sacred life of our great Master, and 
the exemplary death of this heroick saint at 
one view. In Christ's nativity we have all that 
humility and condescension, which must qualify 
us for a good life: and in St. Stephen's mar- 
tyrdom all that faith, hope, and charity, which 
must be a Christian's exercise at the great and 
important hour of his death d ." 

Of the country or kindred of St. Stephen the 
sacred history gives us no account. That he 
was a Jew is unquestionable, as appears from 
his own acknowledgment in his Apology to the 
people: but whether originally of the stock of 
Abraham, or of parents incorporated by prose- 
lytism ; whether born at Jerusalem, or among 
the dispersed in the Gentile provinces, is uncer- 
tain 6 . Antiquity reports him with sufficient 
probability, to have been one of the seventy 
disciples chosen by our Lord as coadjutors to 
the Apostles in the ministry of the Gospel : and 
indeed his knowledge of the Christian doctrine, 
and his ability in proving Jesus to be the Mes- 
siah, are an argument for his having been 
trained under our Lord's immediate instructions. 
Doubtless he was, for so the Scripture describes 
d Historia Sacra. e Dr. Cave's Life of St. Stephen. 



oB Stephen, a man full o f faith 



him, " a man full of faith and of the Holy 
Ghost animated with a pious zeal for the 
Christian verity, and endowed with an extraor- 
dinary measure of that divine Spirit, who had 
been lately shed upon the Church, and by 
whom he was enabled to " do great wonders 
and miracles among the people," 

The office, which St. Stephen bore in the 
Church, was that of one of the primitive dea- 
cons : an office, which had its origin from some 
discontent of certain members of the Church 
concerning the manner, in which the chari- 
table contributions of the Christian community 
were dispersed among its different members. 
" There arose a murmuring of the Grecians 
against the Hebrews, because their widows 
were neglected in the daily ministration." The 
" Grecians" here spoken of were members of 
the Christian Church, Grecians by birth, but 
proselytes to Judaism ; or, as others think, they 
were Jews by descent, but " of the dispersion," 
as they are elsewhere described, and so using not 
the Hebrew or Syriack, but the Greek, language 
in their synagogues. The " Hebrews" were, as 
their name imports, Jews originally both by 
birth and by religion. The former of these 
were of opinion that an undue preference or 
partiality was shewn to the widows of the lat- 
ter : and their complaints gave the first occa- 



a?id of the Holy Ghost. 



59 



sion to that order in the Church, which has ever 
since continued under the title of deacons. 

The end, which the Apostles had chiefly in 
view at the first institution of this order, was 
the appointment of proper persons to assist 
them in the affairs of the Church, particularly 
in the care of the poor : to which, when added 
to their other occupations, the smallness of the 
Apostles' number rendered them unequal ; and 
over which the superior importance of their own 
peculiar functions required them to prefer those 
functions, namely, of " prayer and the ministry 
of the word." 

But though this was the primary and a main 
part of the deacon's office, it seems not to have 
been the whole. The care of the Apostles that 
the newly appointed should he duly qualified 
for their office, 44 men of good report, full of the 
Holy Ghost and of wisdom," bespeaks their 
sense of the great religious importance of the 
office : the solemn rite of consecration, where- 
by the newly-appointed were ordained to it, 
confirms its religious character. Their appoint- 
ment to 44 serve tables" appears also to imply 
their attendance, not only on tables where dis- 
tribution was made of alms to the poor, but on 
the table of the Lord's Supper : for in those 
days the Christian agapae, or love-feasts, at 
which rich and poor sate down together, accom- 



60 Stephen, a man full of faith 



panied the holy Eucharist, and both were ad- 
ministered every day, so that their ministration 
respected both the one and the other. And that 
such was the practice of the primitive Church, 
we learn from a statement of Justin Martyr, that 
when the president of the Assembly had con- 
secrated the Eucharist, the distribution of the 
bread and wine was committed to the deacons. 
Nor was their authority confined to this par- 
ticular service ; nor need we look far for an 
example of others being performed by them : 
since in the early continuation of this history 
we find Philip, one of the deacons here or- 
dained by the Apostles, preaching the Gospel, 
and admitting converts to the profession of it 
by baptism f . 

To this order of deacons, thus instituted by 
the Apostles, the Saint of this day was now ad- 
mitted. Seven persons, duly qualified for the 
purpose, having been under the Apostles' di- 
rection " looked out" by the disciples at large, 
were by the Apostles " appointed" to their office 
with prayer for a blessing upon the undertaking, 
and a solemn " laying on of hands:" a symboli- 
cal rite, derived from antiquity, and transmitted 
to succeeding ages, for investiture and con- 
secration to any extraordinary office. 



f Acts vi. 5. viii. 26 — 40. 



and of the Holy Ghost. 



61 



The first of these seven deacons in the cata- 
logue, the most celebrated in the subsequent 
history of the Church, and probably also the 
most distinguished at the time for his eminent 
qualifications, was St. Stephen : at least he is 
particularly named, as 44 a manfull of faith and 
of the Holy Ghost." And in the sequel he was 
proved to have been exquisitely skilled in all 
parts of Christian doctrine, and endowed with 
appropriate eloquence to declare and publish it; 
enriched with many miraculous gifts and powers; 
and encouraged by a spirit of courage and resolu- 
tion to encounter the most vehement opposition. 

Such opposition soon awaited him. At Je- 
rusalem were many synagogues, established not 
only for expounding the law and for publick 
worship, but as schools or colleges for the edu- 
cation and instruction of youth in the Jewish 
law and traditions : and several of them, being 
erected at the expence and for the use of those 
Jews who lived in foreign countries, were de- 
nominated after the name of the countries^ 
to which they respectively belonged. Certain 
members of five of these synagogues, persons 
of very different countries, and skilled in the 
subtleties of their religion, rose up to dispute 
with Stephen ; but they were " not able to re- 
sist the wisdom and the spirit by which he 



62 Stephen, a man full of faith 



spake g /' Thus ashamed of being openly de- 
feated by their single adversary, and incensed 
that the religion which they opposed had there- 
by received such signal confirmation, they 
u suborned" men of profligate consciences to 
accuse him of blasphemy ; and then brought 
him tumultuously to the council, in order to 
procure against him a formal decree of con- 
demnation. 

The accusation alleged against him was, 
that he had spoken M blasphemous words 
against Moses and against God and again, 
that he " ceased not to speak blasphemous 
words against this holy place and the law : for 
we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Na- 
zareth shall destroy this place, and shall change 
the customs which Moses delivered us." 

The blasphemy, as they calumniously termed 
his language, no doubt exaggerating and mis- 
representing what he had said in a very differ- 
ent spirit ; " the blasphemy against Moses" was 
probably his assertion, that the authority of 
Moses was inferior to, or was to be superseded 
by, that of Christ : " the blasphemy against 
God" was probably involved in the blasphemy 
against Moses, forasmuch as God was the great 
Author of the religion which Moses had taught 



s Acts vi. 10. 



and of the Holy Ghost. 6\3 



the Jews by his command 11 ; or it was the 
ascribing of divinity to one who had suffered 
pnblickly as a malefactor*; the setting up of 
one that was dead, so St. Chrysostom interprets 
it, " as an anti-god to the great Creator of the 
world V " The blasphemy against the holy 
place and the law," probably consisted in a 
prediction, that the temple was to be destroyed, 
and the ritual law of course abolished. 

These accusations were met by the holy man 
with a defence, before the delivery of which it 
pleased God to manifest his approbation of his 
servant, by investing his countenance with a su- 
pernatural and angelical brightness, such as had 
formerly beamed from that of Moses, when he 
had been talking with God 1 : for that appears to 
be the proper signification of the Evangelist's 
narrative, that " all that sat in the council, look- 
ing stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had 
been the face of an angel 111 ." 

Tn his defence, contained in the 7th chapter 
of the Acts, he took a survey of the Jewish his- 
tory from the days of Abraham to those of So- 
lomon : confuting the erroneous notions of the 
Jews concerning the excellence and the perma- 

h Dr. Doddridge's Family Expositor. ' Bp. Horsley's 
Tracts. K Dr. Cave's Life of St. Stephen. 1 Exod. xxxiv. 
29. m Actsvi. 15, 



64 Stephen, a mem full of faith 



nency of the Mosaick dispensation ; and prov- 
ing to them from the records of their own 
Scriptures, that Abraham and the Patriarchs 
had been chosen of God and had served him 
acceptably, long before the law was given by 
Moses, and the tabernacle and temple were 
built : that Moses himself, commissioned as he 
was by God to be " a ruler and deliverer" of 
the people by whom he had been previously 
" refused," and to be the giver of the law to 
the people, had nevertheless foretold the giving 
of a new law, inasmuch as he had announced, 
" A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up 
unto you of your brethren, like unto me: him 
shall ye hear :" that the law of Moses there- 
fore was avowedly of a temporary nature : that 
it had been proved on many occasions insuffi- 
cient for keeping the people in their obedience : 
that the temple, like the tabernacle before it, 
which had been made by divine command and 
after a divine pattern, was but of a transient and 
temporary duration, and was of no essential 
value in the sight of God. In the end he burst 
into a strain of severe reprehension : condemn- 
ing the wilfulness of their fathers in resisting the 
Holy Ghost, and their own hereditary stub- 
bornness ; charging their fathers with having 
slain the prophets who had foretold the coming 
of the Messiah, and themselves with having be- 



and of the Holy Ghost. 65 



trayed and murdered the Messiah himself, thus 
rebelling against the law of which they pro- 
fessed themselves such zealous maintainers, 
which had been solemnly delivered to them by 
the ministry of angels, and which the Messiah 
had come to perfect and fulfil. 

The patience of his hearers could endure no 
longer. They suffered him not to proceed with 
the application of his arguments. They broke 
in upon his defence with signs of malice, rage, 
and fury. 44 They were cut to the heart, and 
they gnashed upon him with their teeth." 
But he, regardless of their fury, and being 44 full 
of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into 
heaven, and saw" the splendour of the divine 
presence, and Jesus himself, the crucified Jesus, 
arrayed in paternal glory, and in a posture of 
readiness to succour and receive him. He saw, 
and therefore did he speak. And he said, 
44 Behold I see the heavens opened, and the 
Son of man standing on the right hand of God." 
The furious assembly heard these words : and 
they heard in them a confirmation and an ag- 
gravation of the " blasphemy," which he had 
been before accused of 44 speaking against 
God." They heard in them an assertion, not 
only of the divine mission, but of the divine 
nature and majesty, of Jesus. 44 Then they 
cried with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, 

F 



66 Stephen, a man full of faith 



and ran upon him with one accord, and cast 
him out of the city, and stoned him ;" thus in- 
flicting upon him the death, which the law ap- 
pointed for blasphemers, but not awaiting in 
their tumultuous impatience for blood all the 
tedious formalities of the law. He died as he 
had lived ; bearing testimony to the truth and 
efficacy of the Gospel, and withal to the deity 
of his crucified Master. His last breath was 
uttered in a prayer to Jesus, first for himself, 
and then for his murderers. " They stoned 
Stephen, calling upon God and saying, Lord 
Jesus, receive my spirit." The word God is 
not in the original text, which might be better 
rendered thus, " They stoned Stephen, invocat- 
ing and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 
After praying for himself, he kneeled down to 
pray for his persecutors : and such was the 
composure with which he died, although the 
manner of his death was the most tumultuous 
and terrifying, that, as if he had expired quietly 
upon his bed, the sacred historian says with 
beautiful simplicity, that " he fell asleep"." 

Thus died St. Stephen, the Proto-martyr of 
the Christian faith ; obtaining, saith Eusebius, a 
reward, truly answering to his name, " a crown." 
He was a man, in whom the virtues of the 



11 See Bp. Horsiey's Tracts. 



and of the Holy Ghost. 



67 



divine life were eminently conspicuous : " a man, 
full of faith and of the Holy Ghost :" indefa- 
tigable in his zeal for the glory of God in Jesus 
Christ; of courage, active and enduring; of con- 
stancy, firm and unshaken ; in piety, most sub- 
missive; in charity, most forgiving. The miracu- 
lous conversion of St. Paul, who was " standing 
by, and consenting to the martyr's death, and 
kept the clothes of them that slew him," has 
been considered a proof of the efficacy of St. 
Stephen's dying prayers, and of that gracious 
favour with which God was pleased to hear 
him 0 . 

The time of his martyrdom is placed by 
some learned men about eight months after our 
Lord's death : by others, at the distance of about 
three years ; by others again, of seven. Eu- 
sebius expressly affirms, that it was not long- 
after his appointment to the office of a deacon: 
and by Chrysostom, and some others who 
have spoken in his honour, we are led to con- 
clude that he was martyred young. The Scrip- 
ture informs us further, that 46 his body was car- 
ried to its burial by devout men," and that 
" great lamentation was made over him p," such 
as was due to one, of whose future labours the 
Church was deprived, though she gained by his 



0 Dr. Cave. 



Acts viii. 2. 



68 Stephen, a man full of faith 



example, The place, where he suffered, is said 
by the Evangelist to have been " out of the 
city." Over the place the Empress Eudocia, 
wife of Theodosius, erected a beautiful and 
stately church to the honour of this first mar- 
tyr : and tradition still preserves the memory 
of the spot, without the walls on the north 
side of Jerusalem, in a broad stone, on which 
he is said to have suffered martyrdom, and in a 
gate, called St. Stephen's gate, from its vicinity 
to the supposed place of his suffering 01 . 

REFLEXIONS. 
In reflecting upon the actions related of St. 
Stephen, we may first have regard to the cha- 
racter given of him by the Evangelist, that he 
was 44 a man full of faith and of the Holy 
Ghost." In this character we perceive the 
principle by which he was actuated, and the 
power which enabled him to act under its im- 
pulse : Faith, the principle; the Holy Ghost, 
the power. As it is from the Holy Spirit of 
God that men derive their sufficiency to do 
things pleasing to God, so it is through the 
principle of faith that they act in such a man- 
ner as to please him. And sound must have 
been that principle, and great must have been 



i Maundrell's Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, 



and of the Holy Ghost. 



69 



that power, which enabled Stephen to support 
the trial to which he was exposed, with the for- 
titude, and firmness, and pious confidence, and 
forgiving meekness, which marked the last 
moments of this holy man. 

The manner indeed, in which the early 
Christian martyrs, after the example of this 
their leader, the illustrious soldier and servant 
of Christ commemorated on this day, submitted 
to their sufferings in testimony to the Christian 
truth, is most surprising ; and affords a strong 
argument for our faith and confidence in the 
goodness of God. They were imprisoned and 
proscribed : they were banished : they were con- 
demned to work in the mines : they were made 
to fight with wild beasts in the theatres for the 
diversion of the people : they were put to the 
torture; they were placed in red hot iron 
chairs : they were crucified, impaled, burned 
alive: in a word, they were compelled to un- 
dergo all the torments, which cruelty and bar- 
barity, inflamed by rage, could invent : tor- 
ments, -of which we cannot hear or read without 
horror, and at the very mention of which 
human nature shudders and recoils. Yet these 
inflictions they endured with the most undaunted 
courage, and with constancy the most un- 
bending. As feminine weakness, the tender- 



70 



Stephen, a man full of faith 



ness of youth, or the decrepitude of declining 
years, was no protection from the cruel acts of 
the persecutor, so were they no impediments in 
the sufferer to the most persevering resolution 
and the most patient endurance. They were led 
to their deaths, deaths the most violent and tre- 
mendous, like St. Stephen : and, like St. Stephen, 
they met their deaths with a firmness, which tri- 
umphed over all that men could do unto them, 
because, like him, they were " full of faith and of 
the Holy Ghost." God, we cannot but suppose, 
suffered them not to sink under the trials, which 
he permitted them to undergo for his Son's 
sake ; but made them ' f strong in faith, " and 
o-ave them a more abundant measure of his 
Spirit to support them. And in them he has 
furnished us with an encouragement, to per- 
severe in the faith, to which they bore testi- 
mony ; and ensamples, that, if we strive to do 
so, we shail have a sufficient supply of his grace. 

The special motive, which animated the first 
martyr, was doubtless the assured prospect of 
heavenly happiness, in exchange for his earthly 
sufferings borne in testimony to the truth of 
Christ. To him indeed, at the moment of his 
sufferings, a special revelation was vouchsafed, 
setting before him in sensible view the majesty 
of his Lord, " He, being full of the Holy 



mid of the Holy Ghost. 



71 



Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and 
saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on 
the right hand of God." And there appears an 
evident propriety, in the admission of this first 
martyr to a particular enjoyment of the beatifick 
vision during the agonies of his mortal combat. 
The Apostles had beheld the blessed Jesus 
" taken up into heaven, till a cloud received 
him out of their sight." The cloud that ob- 
scured him was now removed ; and the first 
martyr beheld the Saviour, amid the radiance 
of the divine glory, in a posture of defence and 
protection of his suffering servant. " He was 
set in the forefront of the battle, the first of that 
noble army who resisted unto blood in defence 
of Jesus and his truth. And the issue of 
that encounter was of mighty consequence : of 
mighty consequence, not only to the champion 
himself, but to the cause in which he was 
engaged, and to the many millions of souls 
who were to engage in it after him. The re- 
ligion, which undertook so boldly to renounce 
the world, and 64 brought life and immortality 
to light," was then in its infancy. And an in- 
stance of those regions of immortality opening 
themselves to one, who had so stedfastly fixed 
his eyes upon them, and in the strength of that 
vision triumphed over death and malice in their 
ghastliest form, proved the force, as well as the 



72 Stephen, a man full of faith 

certainty, of those hopes and that faith inspired 
by the Gospel'." 

But the vision, once vouchsafed, was not to 
be repeated to the material eye. By the eye 
of faith only was the Saviour afterwards beheld 
by succeeding martyrs : and by the eye of faith 
he is, as the Church teaches us to pray, to be 
beheld by us. We have no reason to expect, 
we have every reason not to expect, a repetition 
of St. Stephen's vision : but, if " we look up 
stedfastly to heaven in our sufferings here upon 
earth for the testimony of the truth," or in those 
sufferings which are generally incident to our 
mortal nature, we have good reason to expect, 
that we shall " by faith behold the glory that 
shall be revealed and be supported by that 
faith, until we be translated into the presence 
of Him, even " Jesus, the author and finisher 
of our faith, who for the joy that was set before 
him endured the cross, despising the shame, 
and is set down at the right hand of the throne 
of God s ." 

To Him meanwhile our duty is to be per- 
formed in this life : and amongst other marks 
of faithful devotion there is one in particular sug- 
gested by the conduct of the Saint of this day. 
" They stoned Stephen, calling upon, or invocat- 



r Dean Stanhope. 



5 Heb. xii. 2. 



and of the Holy Ghost. 



73 



ing, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit :" 
an evident and express act of worship, unques- 
tionably addressed to our blessed Saviour, but 
properly addressed to none but " the God of 
the spirits of all flesh," to whom, when 4 ' the 
dust returns to the earth as it was, the spirit 
likewise returns," even " unto God who gave 
it." And again we read, " he kneeled down, 
and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this 
sin to their charge another act of worship, 
properly addressed to that Being alone who for- 
giveth sin, but as plainly addressed to the same 
Lord Jesus, to whom the dying martyr had 
before resigned his spirit. 

The case is well stated by two learned pre- 
lates of the Church. " Our blessed Saviour," 
observes Bp. Tomline, f c when expiring upon 
the cross, cried out, ' Father, into thy hands [ 
commend my spirit :' and he had just before 
prayed for his murderers in these words, ' Father, 
forgive them, for they know not what they do.' 
In like manner the first martyr, St. Stephen, at 
the moment of his being stoned to death, prayed 
to Christ, 4 Lord Jesus, receive my spirit ;' and 
for his murderers he added, ' Lord, lay not this 
sin to their charge/ These prayers of Christ 
addressed to his Father, and of St. Stephen 
addressed to Christ, are in substance the same, 
and are recorded by the same Evangelist, St. 



74 Stephen, a man full of faith 



Luke. J It seems very evident,' says Bishop 
Burnet, * that if Christ was not the true God, 
and equal to the Father, then this Proto-martyr 
died in two acts that seem, not only idolatrous, 
but also blasphemous, since he worshipped 
Christ in the same acts, in which Christ had 
worshipped his Father.' But to remove all 
doubt concerning the lawfulness of St. Stephen's 
worship of Christ, and to give decisive authority 
to his example, St. Luke tells us, that Stephen 
was " full of the Holy Ghost." What higher 
authority can we need, or can we receive, for 
encouraging us to call upon Him, as present to 
hear, mighty to save, merciful to forgive ! And 
with what propriety does the Church direct the 
devotions of her people this day by the example 
of the martyr, " who prayed for his murderers 
to thee, O blessed Jesus, who standest at the 
right hand of God, to succour all those that 
suffer for thee, our only Mediator and Advocate?" 

But let us not fail to remember a duty to our 
brethren also, inculcated in this dying prayer 
of the first martyr; of which the Church has 
not failed to remind us by her prayer, that, 
" being filled with the Holy Ghost, we may 
learn to love and bless our persecutors by his 
example." To forgive our enemies, and in pur- 
suance and in token of our forgiveness to pray 
for and to bless them, is an indispensable 



and of the Holy Ghost. 



75 



Christian duty, and one of the surest testimo- 
nies of a heart filled with the Holy Spirit of 
love. And if this blessed martyr, suffering as 
he was under the agonies of a violent death* 
and beset by the most ferocious and unforgiving 
malice, could nevertheless call upon his Re- 
deemer, after the example of that Redeemer in 
the days of his flesh, " Lord, lay not this sin to 
their charge ;" what are our enemies, or what 
are their offences, that we can be warranted in 
withholding from them our pardon and our 
prayers ? 

Lastly, be it our endeavour, so to tread in 
the paths of faith and hope and piety and bro- 
therly love, that we may finish our course with 
the calmness and composure of this holy suf- 
ferer. Amidst the malice of the infuriated mul- 
titude, the gnashing of their teeth, the noise of 
their execrations, and the shower of overwhelm- 
ing stones, he resigned his spirit to his Re- 
deemer; he kneeled down, and poured forth a 
prayer for his murderers ; " And when he had 
said this, he fell asleep. " So soft a pillow is 
death to a good man ; so willingly, so quietly, 
does he leave the world, as a weary labourer 
goes to bed at night. What storms or tem- 
pests soever may follow him while he lives, his 
sun, in spite of all the malice and cruelty of 
his enemies, sets serene and calm : ' Mark the 



76 Stephen, a man full of faith 

perfect, and behold the upright : for the end of 
that man is peace 1 .' " The persecution, which 
assailed St. Stephen at his death, is not likely 
to be the lot of many of us : few of us are likely 
to be exposed to the tempest of that unfeeling 
malice, which overwhelmed him in premature 
and violent destruction. But man is born to 
pain and trouble ; and trouble and pain must 
be the lot of all of us, more especially at that 
awful season, when we are called upon to com- 
mend our spirit into the hands of Him who 
gave it. God grant us grace to live the life, 
that we may die the death, of the righteous ; 
and that our latter end may be like his, for the 
merits of Him, who died and was buried and 
rose again for us, Jesus Christ, our Lord and 
Saviour! 

Collect for the day, 

" Grant, O Lord, that in all our sufferings 
here upon earth for the testimony of thy truth, 
we may stedfastly look up to heaven, and by 
faith behold the glory that shall be revealed ; 
and being rilled with the Holy Ghost, may learn 
to love and bless our persecutors by the exam- 
ple of thy first martyr St. Stephen, who prayed 
for his murderers to thee, O blessed Jesus, who 



1 Dr. Cave. 



and of the Holy Ghost. 



77 



stand est at the right hand of God to succour 
all them that suffer for thee, our only Mediator 
and Advocate. Amen." 

" u O God, forasmuch as without thee we are 
not able to please thee ; mercifully grant that 
thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and 
rule our hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen." 

" x Almighty and everlasting God, give unto 
us the increase of faith, hope, and charity ; and 
that we may obtain that which thou dost pro- 
mise, make us to love that which thou dost 
command, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 
Amen" 

" yj heard a voice from heaven, saying unto 
me, Write, From henceforth blessed are the 
dead which die in the Lord : even so saith the 
Spirit, for they rest from their labours. 

"O merciful God, the Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, who is the resurrection and the life ; in 
whom whosoever believeth shall live, though 
he die ; and whosoever liveth and believeth in 
him, shall not die eternally ; We meekly be- 
seech thee, O Feather, to raise us from the death 
of sin unto the life of righteousness ; that, when 



u Collect for the 19th Sunday after Trinity. 
x Collect for the 14th Sunday after Trinity, 
y From the Order for the Burial of the Dead. 



78 



Stephen, a man full of faith 



we shall depart this life, we may rest in him ; 
and that, at the general Resurrection in the last 
day, we may be found acceptable in thy sight; 
and receive that blessing, which thy well-be- 
loved Son shall then pronounce to all that love 
and fear thee, saying, Come, ye blessed chil- 
dren of my Father, receive the kingdom pre- 
pared for you from the beginning of the world : 
Grant this, we beseech thee, O merciful Father, 
through Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Re- 
deemer. Amen." 

Praise to the noble brotherhood of those, 

Christ's soldiers, who "resisted unto blood !" 

And praise to him, who foremost dared oppose 
Till death the malice, which his Lord withstood I 

Praise to the martyr'd army, and to thee, 
Stephen ! but praise alone to you be given ! 

Blessing and worship to the Majesty, 

The dread, the jealous Majesty of heaven ! 

Lo ! while around thee prest the murderous band, 
The courts of glory to thy sight were shown. 

And thou didst see the incarnate Saviour stand 
Fast by the brightness of the Almighty throne. 

" Lord, Jesus, take my spirit to thy rest ! 

Lord, from their charge this sin in mercy keep V p 
Thus, humbly kneeling, was thy prayer addrest : 

And thus adoring didst thou sink to sleep. 



and of the Holy Ghost. 



Led by that Spirit, Saint ! who prompted thee, 
Servants of God we to His house repair ; 

And in the union of the Deity- 
Pour to the incarnate Word a Christian's prayer 

Father, forgive ! forgive, eternal Son ! 

And, Spirit blest, thy suppliants' sins forgive! 
Forgive our foes, Thrice Holy Glorious One, 

And grant us ever in thy grace to live! 



ST. JOHN. 



John the brother of James. Mark iii. 17. 
That disciple whom Jesus loved. John xxi. 7. 

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ST. JOHN THE 
APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST. 

THE Saint of this day was one of the sons 
of Zebedee, " John the brother of James. v . 
Distinguished from his brother and all of the 
other Apostles, except St. Matthew, by be- 
ing an evangelist ; distinguished from the 
other evangelists, except St. Matthew again, 
by being an apostle ; distinguished from St. 
Matthew by being not. an evangelist only and 
an apostle, but a prophet : but, notwithstand- 
ing these high and honourable marks of dis- 
tinction, by nothing more favourably known in 
the Christian. Church than by his character of 
*•' that disciple whom Jesus loved." 

The father of St. John was Zebedee, a fisher- 
man upon the sea of Galilee ; probably of the 
town of Bethsaida, the residence of Andrew 

G 



82 John the brother of James. 



and Peter and Philip. His mother was Salome, 
mentioned by St. Mark as one of the devout 
women, who ministered to our blessed Saviour 
in Galilee, waited upon him in his journey 
thence to Jerusalem, stood by the cross at his 
crucifixion, prepared spices to anoint his dead 
body, and, on coming- with that intent to the 
sepulchre, saw there a vision of angels, who 
gave them the first joyful news that he was 
risen. 

The first express mention of St. John in the 
Gospel history is on occasion of his being- 
called with his brother James to leave the busi- 
ness, in which he was at that time occupied, 
and to follow Jesus. It is probable however, 
that in his own Gospel he speaks of himself as 
one of the two disciples of John the Baptist, 
(the other was St. Andrew,) to whom the Bap- 
tist pointed out our Saviour as the Lamb of 
God, and who thereupon sought Jesus in his 
own abode : it being his manner to indicate 
himself by allusion in other passages of his Gos- 
pel. If so, the instructions which he had re- 
ceived from the Baptist, and his own interview 
and conversation with Jesus, would have pre- 
pared him for the ready obedience, with which 
he, as well as Andrew, received the injunction 
of their Lord, and together with his brother 
" left the ship and their father, and followed 



That disciple tvhom Jesus loved. 



83 



him." It is probable also, that he was one of 
the disciples, who were present at the wedding 
in Cana of Galilee, where the water was turned 
into wine. If so, this was one particular op- 
portunity, of which doubtless from his situation 
others also had occurred, of his having seen 
and heard the Lord Jesus previously to his call, 
and of his having been witness of some of his 
miracles. Nor can there be a reasonable ques- 
tion, but that he and his brother and the other 
two great Apostles, called together with them, 
although designated in the fourth chapter of 
the Acts as " unlearned and ignorant men," 
that is, men not versed in the depths and sub- 
tleties of Rabbinical learning, were, like the 
children of pious Jews in general at that time, 
well acquainted with the Scriptures of the Old 
Testament, and expected the appearance of the 
Messiah, foretold by the law and the prophets, 
though undoubtedly with those prepossessions 
as to the worldly character of his kingdom, 
which the Jews in general entertained \ 

St. John, having been called to attend upon 
our Saviour, was soon after appointed an Apo- 
stle, being, as is universally supposed, the 
youngest of those who were admitted to that 
honour. Upon this occasion he, together with 



a Dr. Lardner. 



84 John the brother of James. 



his brother received the name of Boanerges, Ol- 
sons of th under b . : ; a name, probably denoting 
the force with which they should preach, and 
the effect which should be produced on the 
minds of others by their preaching, that divine 
word, which is frequently compared to thunder, 
being like that of the voice of God, speaking 
from heaven, mighty in its operation 0 . Agree- 
ably to this interpretation we find St. John re- 
corded in the Acts as one of the chief speakers 
and actors in the propagation and defence of 
the Gospel, whilst the zeal of 'St. James appears 
to have been the cause why he was slain at an 
early period by the sword of Herod. Probably 
also the appellation denoted further their energy 
in propounding the great doctrines and mys- 
teries of the Gospel in a profounder strain than 
the rest of the Apostles; which was certainly 
verified in the Saint of this day, whose Gospel 
is so full of the more sublime notions and mys- 
teries of religion concerning the deity, eternal 
preexistence, and incarnation of Christ, that he 
is generally affirmed by the ancients not so 
much to speak as to thunder d . 

St. John, together with St. James and St. 
Peter, was admitted by our Lord to witness the 
more intimate transactions of his ministry and 



b Mark iii. 17- 
Life of St, James, 



c Bp. Horne. 



d Dr. Cave's 



That disciple whom Jesus loved. 85 

life, from which the other Apostles were ex- 
cluded. These were the three, who attended 
their Master, when he raised the daughter of 
J aims from the dead f . These were the three, 
to whom, together with Andrew 7 , he foretold 
the destruction of Jerusalem?. These were 
the three, whom he chose to be eye-witnesses 
of his majesty, when he was transfigured on the 
mount, and to be hearers of the voice from 
heaven, which declared him to be the beloved 
Son of God h . And these again were the three, 
whom he chose to be spectators of those bitter 
agonies, which he sustained in the garden of 
Get hse mane, when his soul was exceeding sor- 
rowful even unto death, and he prayed that, if 
it were possible, the cup might pass from him, 
" Thus whatever was most remarkable in their 
blessed Master's actions or teaching, which lie 
saw convenient to conceal for a season; the 
most convincing evidences of his godhead and 
his manhood, the brightest lustre of the one, 
and the lowest humiliation of the other ; all in- 
deed that could bespeak a particular confidence 
and kindness, was reserved for a retreat with 
those select friends, of whom, though so few, 
St. John had constantly the privilege to be 
one 1 ." 

f Mark v. 37. * Mark xiii. 3, h Matt. xvii. 1. 

* Dean Stanhope. 



86 



John the brother of James. 



Upon St. John himself some marks of favour 
appear to have been bestowed, of which the 
others were not partakers. To him belonged 
the privilege of occupying the place nearest to 
Jesus at the time of meals, or, as it is expressed 
with reference to the posture of lying or reclin- 
ing on couches usual in the latter days of the 
Jews, of " leaning on Jesus* breast at supper 1 ." 
He, in the silence of Peter and of the other 
Apostles, questioned our Lord concerning the 
one who should be the traitor ; and to him our 
Lord vouchsafed to communicate the intelli- 
gence which he sought k . To him our Lord, 
when expiring on the cross, consigned the care 
of his widowed and sorrowful mother 1 . To 
him belongs the ofttimes repeated title of " the 
disciple whom Jesus loved 113 ." 

There are indeed three occasions mentioned 
in the Gospels, whereon St. John was so un- 
happy as to experience our Lord^s reproof. 
Once, when, aspiring to a state of pre-eminence 
above his fellows, he together with his brother 
petitioned to be allowed " to sit, one on the 
right hand of Christ, the other on his left, in his 
kingdom"." Again, when he forbade one to 

' John xiii, 23, 25. k John xiii. 26-. 1 John xix. 

26, 27. '"John xiii. 23. xix. 26. xx. 2. xxi 20. 

u Matt. xx. 2L. 



That disciple whom Jesus loved, 87 

proceed in casting out devils, though he did it 
in Christ's name, because he followed not in 
the train of Christ. A third time, when he 
joined with James in demanding whether it was 
his Lord's will to call down fire from heaven, 
and consume the inhabitants of a Samaritan 
village, because they refused to receive Jesus 
on his passage to Jerusalem 0 . These were in- 
stances respectively of an overweening ambi- 
tion ; of jealousy, leading to a want of just dis- 
crimination ; of indignation, not properly at- 
tempered by forbearance and mercy. Yet 
perhaps in extenuation of these it may be said, 
that they betrayed an earnest attachment and 
devotion to his Lord : that it was an ambition 
to be placed as near as possible to his person ; 
that it was a jealousy arising out of anxiety 
for his honour; that it was an indignation sug- 
gested by high respect for his authority. In 
the two last cases particularly the warmth mani- 
fested by the Apostle seems to have proceeded 
from an honest and well-intentioned, though 
an ill-informed and ill-regulated zeal. It sub- 
sided, in consequence of our Lord's reproofs, 
into a spirit of meekness and charity, which 
afterwards shewed itself most conspicuously in 
St. John, by declarations of the most fervid 



° Luke ix. 51. 



88 John the brother of James. 



love for his brethren, and of willingness even 
to purchase their lives and safety by the sacri- 
fice of his own, in proof of the sincerity of his 
love and gratitude to Christ p . Nor let it be 
forgotten that the offences, being repented of 
and forsaken, deprived not our Apostle of the 
place he had obtained in his Lord's favour; 
since we find him at. the last supper placed next 
to Jesus, and admitted to his special confidence 
and regard q . 

Meanwhile his sense of the love of his Lord 
towards him, and his own reciprocal affection 
for his Lord, were manifested in the season most 
proper for giving proof of them, namely that 
of his Lord's suffering and disgrace. If, when 
attending in the garden of Gethsemane, together 
with Peter and James, the weakness of human 
nature overcame his good resolutions and en- 
deavours to watch for his sorrowful Master : if, 
at the nearer approach of danger, dismay seized 
on him in common with the rest of the eleven, 
and he, as well as the other disciples, " fors ook 
him and fled it is probable that he was that 
other disciple, who with Peter in some degree 
recovered from his panick, and " followed 
Jesus, and went in with Jesus into the hall of 
the high priest T ;" it is certain, that he attended, 



p 1 John iii, 16. ^ John x4ii 22—26 r John xviii. 15 



That disciple whom Jesus loved. 89 



(and, so far as the Gospel history informs us, 
he was the only Apostle who did attend,) at 
the crucifixion ; that, in company with the af- 
flicted mother of the dying Redeemer, he stood 
by the cross of Jesus ; that he received from 
Jesus the charge of his now destitute parent, 
with an injunction to treat her, as if she were 
his own ; and that he accepted the charge with 
the most prompt obedience, and, as if he had 
been indeed her son, " from that hour took 
her unto his own home 8 ." When, at the in- 
stant of his death, the expiring Saviour said 
with his parting breath, "It is finished," the 
beloved disciple heard : and when " one of the 
soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forth- 
with came thereout blood and water," the same 
disciple "saw it and bare record, and his re- 
cord is true." Nor can it be doubted that he 
continued on the spot after the death of Jesus, 
and saw the body taken from the cross, and 
laid in the sepulchre with such circumstances, 
as he has described in his narrative of the trans- 
action. 

After our Lord's resurrection, on the morn- 
ing of the day on which he rose from the dead, 
St. John was the first Apostle who came to the 
empty tomb, where with St. Peter he examined 



8 John xix. 26, 30, 34. 



90 John the br other of James. 



the circumstances of the grave-cloths, and as- 
certained the fact of the resurrection". On the 
evening of the same day he was present with 
the other disciples, when Jesus shewed himself 
to them all, with the exception of Thomas ; 
and again, eight days after, when he appeared 
to them and to Thomas with them ; the particu- 
lars of which appearances St. John has related \ 
He has also related another remarkable appear- 
ance of our Lord, at which he was present with 
several other disciples at the sea of Tiberias, 
when his discernment first pointed out to Peter 
that 44 it was the Lord \" and when our Lord f 
having foretold the martyrdom of Peter, fol- 
lowed it by an intimation concerning John, 
generally understood to have been fulfilled in 
his survival of the destruction of Jerusalem, and 
not improbably also in his dying a natural 
death y . With the other Apostles St. John was 
present at our Lord^s ascension : with them he 
returned from Mount Olivet to Jerusalem, and 
continued with them in prayer and supplication, 
and joined with them in supplying the place of 
Judas 2 , and partook with them in the plentiful 
effusion of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pen- 
tecost, and with them " wrought signs and 
wonders among the people," and with them 

u John xx. 2—8. x John xx. 19 — 29. * John xxi. 
z Acts i. 13, &c. 



That disciple whom Jesus loved. 91 

suffered stripes and imprisonment, " rejoicing 
that he was counted worthy to suffer shame for 
the name of Jesus, and daily in the temple and 
in every house ceasing not to teach and preach 
Jesus Christ \" 

Upon some occasions St, John is particularly 
mentioned, and then for the most part with St. 
Peter, between whom and our Apostle a closer 
intimacy and friendship appear to have sub- 
sisted. It was at Peter's request that John 
undertook to ask of our Lord who it was that 
should betray him. It was to Peter, that John, 
having on our Lord's appearance at the sea of 
Tiberias discerned him to be Jesus, communi- 
cated the intelligence. And it was in concern 
for John, that Peter having been apprised " by 
what death he should glorify God," inquired 
" what that man should do." These were the 
two disciples, whom our Lord sent before him 
to prepare the passover b : these were the two, 
whom Mary Magdalene sought, that she might 
impart to them the news of the sepulchre being 
empty e : these were the two, who, after the 
descent of the Holy Spirit, " went up together 
into the temple," and there healed the impotent 
man d : these were the two, who were first im- 
prisoned for the name of Jesus, who justified to 

a Acts v. 12, 41, 42. b Luke xxii. 8 c John xx. 2, 
d Acts iii. 1= 



92 



John the brother of James. 



the rulers their preaching salvation in that name, 
and boldly declared their resolution to persist in 
doing so e : these two were chosen by the other 
Apostles and commissioned to confirm the new 
converts in Samaria, who had been instructed in 
the faith of Christ by the preaching of Philip 
the deacon f : and lastly these two, and James 
the Lord's brother, are said to have been 
esteemed "pillars;" from them St. Paul declares 
that he received " the right hand of fellowship" 
at Jerusalem ; and that with them it was agreed 
what part he should take in the propagation of 
the Gospel s . These circumstances give proof 
of the more than ordinary union which pre- 
vailed between St. John and St. Peter; of the 
earnestness with which they led forward their 
brethren in the apostleship to danger and dis- 
grace in the service of their Master; of the con- 
fidence reposed in them by their brethren, and 
of the authority with which they discharged 
their apostolical commission h . 

Thus far our information concerning St. John 
is derived from the records of holy writ. From 
ecclesiastical history it is probable that he con- 
tinued to dwell at Jerusalem till after the death 
of the blessed Virgin, which was about 15 years 
subsequent to our Lord's ascension. After that 

e .Acts iv. ■ Acts viii. 14. « Gal. ii. 9 

h Dean Stanhope. 



That disciple whom Jesus loved, 93 

event, but how soon after is uncertain, it is al- 
lowed that he dwelt in Asia ; probably however 
not at a very early period 1 , for in the whole of 
St. Luke's history of the preaching and travels 
of St. Paul, particularly in Asia, no mention is 
made of St. John, of whom mention would pro- 
bably have been made, had he been there at that 
time: nor are there any salutations sent to St. 
John in any of St. Paul's Epistles written at 
Rome ; several of which were sent to Ephesus, 
or other places not very remote from it: as the 
Epistle to the Ephesians, to the Colossians, and 
to Philemon at Colossse. 

In Asia St. John industriously applied him- 
self to the propagation of Christianity, preaching 
the Gospel in places where it had not previously 
taken root, and confirming it in those where it 
had been already planted. Of the former class 
probably were Smyrna, Pergamus, Thyateira, 
Sardis, and Philadelphia; five of the seven 
churches to whom he addressed himself in the 
Revelation : of the latter class Laodicea might 
probably be one, and another certainly was 
Ephesus where St. Paul had formerlyestablished 
a church, and placed it under the episcopal care 
of Timothy ; and where our Apostle appears 
eventually to have fixed his principal residence : 



* Dr. JLardner. 



*)4 



John the brother of James. 



nor could he have seated himself any where 
more commodiously for dispensing at the same 
time the knowledge of Christianity among the 
natives of different nations, by reason of its be- 
ing the centre of communication between the 
great divisions of the then known world, of the 
extent of its commerce, and the convenience 
of its port to travellers from Syria and Egypt, 
from Greece and Macedonia, and the provinces 
between the Mediterranean and Euxine seas. 
That he also travelled and preached in Parthia, 
has been said ; but it may be doubted whether 
on sufficient authority. 

After a lapse of several years, a persecution 
against the Christians, begun by order of the 
Emperor Domitian, fell upon St. John ; who 
at his command was sent by the Proconsul of 
Asia to Rome, where he is reported to have 
been cast into a caldron of boiling oil near the 
Latin gate, and to have been delivered from it 
without any injury, The occurrence is related 
by Tertullian in a manner, which has been sup- 
posed to import the fact to be abundantly no- 
torious 1 ". But as it rests almost intirely upon 
the sole credit of Tertullian, and is omitted by 
several ancient writers, Irenseus, Origen, and 
others, who would probably have mentioned it, 



k Dean Stanhope, 



That disciple whom Jesus loved. 



95 



if it had rested on good ground, who speak of 
the sufferings of the x4postles and of St. John's 
banishment to Patmos, and who yet say no- 
thing of this extraordinary miracle ; whilst the 
story is received by some, by others it is reck- 
oned to be doubtful, and by others again is re- 
jected as a fiction 1 . 

A better authenticated fact is his banishment 
to Patmos, a desolate island in the iEgeaii sea, 
not far from the coast of Asia. Thither he was 
banished, as he himself tells us, " for the word 
of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ 111 :" 
there he saw the visions which were revealed 
to him concerning the future fortunes of the 
Christian Church ; and there he recorded them 
in the book, which derives its name of the 
Apocalypse or Revelation from the matter of it, 
towards the end of the reign of Domitian, near 
the close of the first century of the Christian era. 
The seeing of the Apocalypse in this island is 
affirmed by the work itself : and the composi- 
tion of the book in the same island is according 
to the testimony of the ancients. And the in- 
habitants still retain traditionary notices of the 
fact in places regarded with honour both by the 
Greeks and the Latins": particularly in " a 
small convent called Apocalypse, in which there 

i Dr. Lardner. ra Rev. i. 9. n Dr. Wells's 

Geography of the New Testament. 



96 John the brother of James. 



is a grot now converted into a church, where 
they say St. John lived when he was banished 
to this island, and where they affirm he writ the 
Revelation 0 ." 

The death of Domitian, and the indulgence 
of Nerva towards the Christians whom he re- 
stored to their homes, caused the return of St. 
John, after about a year's absence, to Ephesus, 
where he continued for the remainder of his 
life. It was during his second residence here 
that he wrote his Gospel, at the request of the 
bishops of Asia : relating in it several passages 
in our Saviour's life, particularly at the begin- 
ing of his ministry, which had been omitted by 
the other Evangelists, such as the wedding at 
Cana, the visit of Nicodemus to our Saviour, 
his dialogue with the woman of Samaria, the 
healing of the nobleman's son at Capernaum, 
the giving of sight to the man born blind, and 
the raising of Lazarus ; reciting our Lord's dis- 
courses at length upon several important to- 
picks, especially the promise of the Holy Ghost, 
the Comforter; giving most plain and frequent 
assurances, that Jesus is not only a prophet 
and a messenger of God, but the Christ, the 
Son of God ; and asserting expressly and clearly 
at the beginning the deity of Christ, and pre- 

0 Bp. Pococke's Travels in the East. 



That disciple whom Jesus loved. 



97 



inising that as the foundation of his work p . 
Indeed it is generally supposed, on the autho- 
rity of ancient writers, that he had the double 
object in view, first, of supplying those passages 
in the evangelical history which the previous 
Evangelists had omitted ; and, secondly, of 
obviating the early heresies, especially those of 
Ebion, T^erinthus, and their followers, who 
began openly to deny the divine nature of 
Christ, and his existence before his incarna- 
tion 01 . The subject, of which he treats, is sub- 
lime and mysterious ; and he treats of it with 
great simplicity and dignity : so that he is ge- 
nerally and by an appropriate figure resembled 
by the ancients to an eagle soaring aloft, and 
especially honoured by the title of " divine," 
as due to him in an eminent and extraordinary 
manner r . 

About the same time he is supposed to have 
written his Epistles. The first of these, which 
has been at all times admitted as our Apostle's 
composition, though he does not prefix his 
name at the beginning, nor any where else 
mention it in the body of the work, contains 
also no description or character of the persons, 
to whom he writes, by the name of their city, 
or country, or any other local peculiarities. 

p Dr. Lardner. q Dr. Townson on the Gospels. 

r Mr. Nelson's Companion to the Festivals. 

H 



98 



John the brother of James, 



Several times he addresses them as "little chil- 
dren a tender and affectionate appellation, 
denoting paternal authority, love, and concern ; 
fit to have been used by St. John, as an apostle, 
in any part of his life, but seeming to imply, 
together with apostolical authority, advanced 
age. It is called a general or catholick Epistle : 
and so it appears to have been designed for all 
Christians in general, into whose hands it should 
come, without any exception : or, if designed 
for any Christians more particularly, probably 
for the churches of Asia, at or near Ephesus, 
most connected with the Apostle by local situa- 
tion, as well as by being nnder his more imme- 
diate superintendence. It has however little 
of the epistolary character: and "is indeed a 
didactick discourse upon the principles of Chris- 
tianity, both in doctrine and practice. And 
whether we consider the sublimity of its open- 
ing, with the fundamental topicks of God's 
perfections, man's depravity, and Christ's pro- 
pitiation ; the perspicuity with which it pro- 
pounds the deepest mysteries of our holy faith, 
and the evidence of the proof which it brings 
to confirm them; whether we consider the 
sanctity of its precepts, and the energy of the 
arguments with which they are persuaded and 
inforced ; the dignified simplicity of language 
in which both doctrine and precept are deli- 



That disciple whom Jesus loved. 



.90 



vered : whether we regard the importance of 
the matter, the propriety of the style, or the 
general spirit of ardent piety and warm be- 
nevolence, united with .a fervid zeal, which 
breathes throughout the whole composition; 
we shall find it in every respect worthy of the 
holy author, to whom the constant tradition of 
the Church ascribes it, "the disciple whom 
Jesus loved 5 !" 

The two other Epistles are written under the 
title of " the Eider," a very honourable cha- 
racter, well becoming St. John as an Apostle, 
and now far advanced in years, residing in 
Asia as superintendent of all the neighbouring 
churches. The Epistles are short, and ad- 
dressed to two particular persons: the one a 
lady of honourable quality, styled " elect," on 
account of her profession of the Gospel 3 to 
which in common with other Christians she was 
chosen ; the other, the charitable and hospitable 
Gains, of whom little is known, except what 
may be collected from the Epistle itself, namely, 
that he was a kind friend and courteous enter- 
tainer of all indigent Christians, as well as a 
stedfast adherent to the Christian truth. There 
is not any reasonable ground for questioning 
the author, who is now generally admitted to 



s Bp, Horsley's Sermons. 



100 



John the brother of James. 



be St. John : and indeed the strong resem- 
blance, which these two Epistles bear to the 
first in sentiment, phrase, and manner of writ- 
ing, and even to a considerable extent their 
identity in sense or expression, sufficiently prove 
them to have proceeded from the same pen. 

Several anecdotes are related of St. John by 
the fathers of the Church, two of which may 
be mentioned, as illustrative, the former of his 
deep sense of the importance of a sound Chris- 
tian faith, the other of that of Christian charity. 
Irenseus records it as a narrative derived from 
his instructor Polycarp, St. John's own scholar 
and disciple, that St. John, going to bathe at 
Ephesus, and understanding that Cerinthus was 
within, retired in haste without bathing, saying 
to his companions, "Let us flee hence, lest the 
bath should fall, while Cerinthus the enemy of 
the truth is within." " Such abhorrence had 
even the best men at that time, such dreadful 
apprehensions, of those, who presumed to deny 
our Saviour's divinity ; so far were they from 
allowing them any manner of countenance, as 
not to think it either becoming or safe to min- 
gle, so much as in civil or casual conversation, 
with such impious and professed enemies to the 
truth 1 ." And St. Jerome relates, that 44 the 



f Dean Stanhope. 



That disciple whom Jesus loved. 1 0 1 

blessed Apostle John, living at Ephesus to ex- 
treme old age, and being with difficulty carried 
to church in the arms of the disciples, and 
being unable to make a long discourse, every 
time they assembled was wont to say nothing 
but this, " Little children, love one another." 
At length the disciples and brethren who at- 
tended, tired of hearing so often the same thing, 
said, c Sir, why do you always say this?' Who 
then made this answer, worthy of himself, 'Be- 
cause it is the Lord's command ; and if that 
alone be done, it is sufficient"." 

Thus did our Apostle persevere to the last 
in promoting the Gospel of his Lord and Mas- 
ter, till it pleased that Lord and Master to 
take him to himself by a quiet and peaceable 
death, full of age and honours. He died at 
Ephesus, early in the reign of the Emperor 
Trajan, 68 years after our Lord's passion, being 
probably about 100 years of age; and he was 
buried near the same city. Of his character, 
as a man, no more satisfactory testimony can 
be given, than that which is contained in the 
brief and emphatical expression, " that disci- 
ple whom Jesus loved." His character, as a 
writer, is forcibly drawn in a few sentences by 
St. Jerome, who says, that " he was at once 
Apostle, Evangelist, and Prophet : Apostle, in 

* Br, Lai ilner. 



102 



John the brother of James. 



that he wrote letters to the Churches, as a mas- 
ter ; Evangelist, as he wrote a book of the 
Gospel, which no other of the twelve Apostles 
did, except St. Matthew; Prophet, as he saw 
the revelation in the island Patmos, where he 
was banished by Domitian. His Gospel too 
differs from the rest. Like an ea^le he ascends 
to the very throne of God, and says, " In the 
beginning was the Word V 

REFLEXIONS. 

The circumstances, to which allusion has 
now been made in the life of St. John, may 
give occasion for the following reflexions. 

Youth is no obstacle to the favour of God, 
nr to devotion to God^s service. St. John 
was the youngest of the disciples ; but no one 
was more favoured than he, nor more zealous 
in attachment to his Master. His example 
calls upon those, who are entering upon their 
career of moral obligation and responsibility, to 
do that which the Wise-man calls upon them 
in words to do; namely, to " remember their 
Creator in the days of their youth 37 :" and of 
this w e may be sure, that, if they do so remem- 
ber him, he will not forget them in the time of 
age, nor forsake them when they are old and 



% Dr. Lardner, 



Eccles. xiii. 1. 



That disciple whom Jesus loved. 103 

grey-headed. If youth present peculiar tempta- 
tions to withdraw us from the service of God, it 
endows us also with peculiar ability to serve 
him. " I have written unto you, young men," 
saith our Apostle, " because ye are strong, and 
the word of God abideth in you, and ye have 
overcome the wicked one z ." The strength of 
opening manhood is never so well employed, 
as, after the example of our Apostle himself, in 
practising subserviency to God's revealed will, 
and in triumphing over its spiritual enemies : 
it lends a grace and a beauty to religion, and 
produces an abundant harvest of good works 
and of glory to God. " Let no man despise 
thy youth \" 

Low station is no obstacle to God's favour. 
St. John was the son of a fisherman : recom- 
mended to our Saviour, neither by refinement 
of education, nor by honourable employment, 
he was diligently engaged in the labours of an 
humble occupation, when chosen to accompany 
his Lord. For those indeed, whom it hath 
pleased God to place in the higher states of life, 
it is right that they should endeavour to per- 
form the duties of their stations, by a due culti- 
vation of their talents, by the acquirement of 
suitable accomplishments, and by acting up to 

1 1 John ii, 14. a 1 Tim. iv, 12. 



104 John the brother of James. 



the rank in society, to which by the good pro- 
vidence of God they are bora and designated. 
Nor can such persons act more agreeably to 
the will of God, nor more effectually for his 
glory and their own salvation. At the same 
time the poor and lowly may reflect, that 
their poverty and lowliness does not preclude 
them from the enjoyment of God's favour and 
his love in Christ Jesus, provided they be dili- 
gent in discharging the duties of their station. 
" The beloved disciple of Jesus'' was, when 
called upon to follow him, " mending his net" 
on the lake of Gennesareth. 

Friendship is not inconsistent with the spirit 
and principles of the Gospel. It is not indeed 
the subject of an injunction, as if the formation 
of particular attachments were a duty to be 
practised : but it as certainly is not forbidden, 
as if it were a vice or a weakness to be avoided. 
In several passages of our Lord's teaching, the 
existence of friendship, and the natural dis- 
position of the heart of man towards it, are re- 
cognized plainly and with complacency. And 
this example of his conduct, in admitting St. 
John to a special share of his intimacy and 
regard, is a proof that friendship needs not to 
be discouraged. Charity for all men, brotherly 
love for all our brethren in Christ, is unques- 
tionably prescribed to us : but such regard 



That disciple whom Jesus loved. 105 

and good will for all is not incompatible with 
a higher degree of affection for some. And 
surely, if amongst the twelve, whom our Lord 
selected for his constant companions, there 
was one peculiarly distinguished as " the dis- 
ciple whom he loved," we need not scruple to 
love some more than others. 

Why our Lord bestowed on this disciple a 
larger portion of his love, we are not distinctly 
told. Different reasons have been surmised, 
of which no one is more probable than St. 
John's amiable and affectionate disposition. 
Certain it is that St. John returned his Master's 
love by faithful attachment to his person, and 
earnest zeal in his service, as well as by a filial 
attention to the widowed mother of his Lord, 
whom from the hour of his Lord's death he 
" took unto his own home thereby teaching 
us, that for the great love which Christ hath 
manifested towards us we ought to make every 
return in our power, by fidelity toward himself, 
and by kind and affectionate conduct to those 
afflicted ones, and to those sincere performers 
of the will of his heavenly Father, whom he is 
pleased to regard in the light of his own rela- 
tions. 

We have seen that the good qualities of St. 
John were not free from a mixture of human 



106 



John the brother of James. 



frailty, so as to have brought upon him the re- 
proof of our Saviour, to which however he sub- 
mitted with modesty and humility, and appears 
in consequence to have corrected his fault. In 
his error we may discern a lesson of the prone- 
ness of human nature to deviate from the \ 'vA\t 
path, even in good things; and may be prompted 
to watch over our religious zeal, lest it betray 
us into language or conduct, which Christian 
piety and charity may not warrant. Again, if 
the error of the Apostle may set us on our guard 
against the failings incident to our nature, his 
correction of his error may be an example for 
us to follow, and may lead us to cherish mo- 
desty, and forbearance, and gentleness, and love 
to others. It is remarkable that St. John, who 
was one of those that proposed the question to 
his Master, " Lord, wilt thou that we command 
fire to come down from heaven, and consume 
them V y testified in after life the warmest charity 
for all men ; and was so far from entertaining 
a desire to call down fire upon offenders, that 
he considered it to be a duty of Christians, out 
of love to God and their Redeemer, to " lay 
down their lives for the brethren." 

For encouraging us in the cultivation of this 
Christian spirit, no mode is preferable to the 
study of our Apostle's writings. The dis- 



That disciple ivhom Jesus loved. 107 

courses of our Saviour, recorded by St. John in 
his Gospel, are in this respect invaluable : and 
his own exhortations in his Epistles are admir- 
ably calculated to produce the same effect. They 
perpetually inculcate that precept, which is said 
to have been the constant subject of his preach- 
ing, when the infirmity of age prevented him 
from descanting upon other topicks, " Little 
children, love one another." 

In adverting to St. John^s writings it should 
be observed, that he was excellently qualified 
to give a narrative of our Lord's life and ministry; 
such a narrative, as might be received by the 
Church with the most complete and implicit 
confidence. He had been with him from the 
earliest period of his ministry, and was ad- 
mitted to the most private passages of it, till he 
saw him expire upon the cross ; and again he 
was with him after his resurrection, till he saw 
him taken up into heaven : so that he could say 
with the greatest propriety, and with peculiar 
emphasis, " that which we have heard, which 
we have seen with our eyes, which we have 
looked upon, and our hands have handled, 
of the word of life : (for the life. was manifested, 
and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew 
unto you that eternal life, which was with the 
Father, and was manifested unto us;) That 
which we have seen and heard declare we unto 



108 John the brother of James. 



you h ." His Gospel therefore is highly valuable 
upon its own account. " He that saw bare re- 
cord, and his record is true : and he kuoweth 
that he saith true, that ye might believe 0 ." 

It is valuable also as a confirmation of the 
others. According to the testimony of anti- 
quity, St. John had seen the three preceding 
Gospels, and bore testimony to the truth of 
tSiem by composing his own with a manifest re- 
ference to them. As no one could have been 
more capable of judging of their merit, so the 
approbation of no one could have been more 
precious. 

It is further valuable as supplemental to the 
others. For several doctrinal discourses of our 
Saviour, and for several of his miracles, which 
have been already specified, we are indebted 
solely to St. John^s Gospel : and in his narra- 
tive of the crucifixion and resurrection, which 
harmonizes in general with the other narratives 
of those great events, several circumstances are 
recorded which are not noticed by the other 
Evangelists. Whilst his silence with regard to 
many things, which had been already related, 
is a proof that he was satisfied with the pre- 
vious relations of those things; his introduction 
of other things, which had been previously 



b 1 John i, 1, 2, 3. 



0 John xix. 35. 



That disciple whom Jesus loved. 109 



omitted, stamps an additional and peculiar 
value on bis Gospel, wherein alone they are 
related. 

It is moreover valuable in a very high degree, 
as insisting specially upon the principal mys- 
teries of the Christian faith, the divinity, incar- 
nation, and atonement of Christ. The other 
Evangelists had chiefly insisted on the things 
relating to our Lord's humanity : St. John 
dwells more particularly on his divinity, on 
which his statements are express and copious. 
And " let it be remembered that this book, 
which contains so much additional information 
relative to the doctrines of Christianity, and 
which may be considered as a standard of faith 
for all ages, was written by that Apostle, who is 
known to have enjoyed, in a greater degree 
than the rest, the affection and confidence of the 
divine Author of our religion, and to whom was 
given a special revelation concerning the state 
of the Christian church in all succeeding 
ages' 1 ." To the importance of our Apostle's 
teaching attention is particularly drawn in the 
Collect of the day, wherein we are instructed 
to beseech our " merciful Lord to cast his bright 
beams of light upon his church, that it being 
enlightened by the doctrine of his blessed 



(1 Bp, Tomiine. 



1 10 John the brother of James. 

Apostle and Evangelist St. John, may so walk 
in the light of his truth, that it may at length 
attain to the light of everlasting life, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord." 

As St. John was the youngest of the Apostles, 
so his life was prolonged to the greatest age. 
Whilst it pleased God that his fellows in the 
Apostolate should for the most part glorify God 
by violent and premature deaths ; that James 
for example, 44 the brother of John," should be 
killed by the sword of Herod, and that Peter, 
his intimate companion, should perish on the 
cross by the decree of Nero; it pleased him also 
that John himself should escape the malice of 
the Jew and the fury of heathen persecution, 
and glorify God by a life extended beyond the 
ordinary limit of the life of man. Whilst by 
the sufferings, which he actually underwent, the 
imprisonment, the stripes, the banishment, per- 
haps the still harder trial of the burning cal- 
dron, he fulfilled his LoixPs warning, that he 
should t4 drink of his cup and be baptized with 
his baptism ; M by his survival of the destruction 
of Jerusalem, and in the end by dying in peace, 
he fulfilled his Lord's promise, that he should 
tarry till he should come. And since, as the 
Wise-man saith, 44 a hoary head is a crown of 
glory, if it be worn in the way of righteous- 
ness," such it was in an eminent degree in the 



That disciple whom Jesus loved. 1 1 1 



instance of " the disciple whom Jesus loved," 
who failed not, through the long course of his 
protracted pilgrimage, to 44 let his light shine 
before men, that they might see his good 
works, and glorify his Father which was in 
heaven." Let us endeavour so to believe as he 
believed, and so to act as he acted. Thus may 
we have grace, whether living or dying, whether 
in youth or in old age, to glorify God in Christ 
Jesus, our Lord : and when our Redeemer shall 
say to us, as he did to the beloved disciple, 
44 Surely, 1 come quickly," may we, whether 
young or old, be able to answer in the words of 
the same disciple, 44 Amen. Even so, come, 
Lord Jesus 6 ." 

Collects. 

44 Merciful Lord, we beseech thee to cast 
thy bright beams of light upon thy Church, that 
it being enlightened by the doctrine of thy 
blessed Apostle and Evangelist St. John may 
so w alk in the light of thy truth, that it may at 
length attain to the light of everlasting life, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen*." 

44 O God, who hast prepared for them that 
love thee such good things as pass man's un- 
derstanding ; Pour into our hearts such love 



c Rev. xxii. 20. 



f Collect for the Day. 



1 1 2 



John the brother of James. 



toward thee, that we, loving thee above all 
things, may obtain thy promises, which exceed 
all that we can desire ; through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord. Amen s " 

" O Lord, who hast taught us that all our 
doings without charity are nothing worth ; 
Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts 
that most excellent gift of charity, the very 
bond of peace and of all virtues, without which 
whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee: 
Grant this for thine only Son, Jesus Christ's 
sake. AmenK" 

Among the planets heavenly bright, 
Which round their Sun of glory shine, 

No orb emits a purer light, 

A holier radiance, John, than thine. 

Apostle thou of Christ the Lord ; 

Prophet of scenes, to come decreed; 
Historian of the incarnate Word; 

Martyr in will, if not in deed : 

Yet by another name we deem 

Thy claim to high renown approved, 

A name, of equal praise the theme, 
" Disciple, by thy Master loved/' 



8 Collect for the 6th Sunday after Trinity. h Collect for 
Quinquagesima Sunday. 



That disciple ivhom Jesus loved. 1 1 3 

Be ours to mark His portrait fair, 

Whom thy recording pencil drew; 
Be ours to mark thy faithful care, 

To his divine commandments true ; 

To note thy life ; to see thee fling 
The beams of sacred truth abroad ; 

And soar with thee on eagle wing, 
And view unblam'd the throne of God. 

And may our faith, blest Saint, like thine, 
By love to God and man be proved; 

That we in our degree may shine, 
" Disciples, by our Master loved." 



HOLY INNOCENTS. 



The children that were in Bethlehem, 
Matt. ii. 16. 



HISTORICAL NOTICE OF THE HOLY 
INNOCENTS. 

THE commemoration of the death of the 
infants slain at Bethlehem has been celebrated 
in the assemblies of Christians from the primi- 
tive times ; as appears from a work which has 
been ascribed to Origen, who lived between 
1500 and 1600 years ago. They are reckoned 
amongst the martyrs by Tertullian and Cy- 
prian : and the Christian poet Prudentius has 
an elegant and beautiful address to these young 
sufferers for their Redeemer, in one of his 
hymns, quoted and translated by Bishop Home 
in his discourse upon " Rachel Comforted." 
The occasion of the festival being introduced 
at this period of the annual services of the 
Church has been mentioned in our notice of 
St. Stephen. 



116 



The children 



The history of their death is briefly related 
in the second chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel, 
part of which forms the Gospel for the day. 
From this and from the former part of the 
chapter we learn, that on the birth of the Sa- 
viour, Christ the Lord, at Bethlehem, certain 
Gentiles of learning and distinction, called Magi 
in the original language, and " wise men" in 
our translation, came under the divine direc- 
tion from the east to pay him their homage. On 
their arrival at Jerusalem they inquired where 
was the new-born King of the Jews, and they 
signified their purpose of worshipping him. 
The whole city was " troubled" with a variety 
of emotions, according as the intelligence af- 
fected the various views and sentiments of the 
different descriptions of inhabitants: and in 
particular " Herod the King," Herod the Great, 
as he is sometimes called to distinguish him 
from other princes of the same name, was dis- 
turbed with jealous apprehensions and terrors, 
dreading a formidable rival to himself and his 
family in the throne of Judea, of which under 
the patronage first of Antony, and afterwards 
of Augustus, and by a decree of the Roman 
Senate, he was at that time possessed. 

By consulting the chief priests and ex- 
pounders of the law, he first ascertained that 
Bethlehem was the place appointed by ancient 



that were in Bethlehem. 



117 



prophecy for the birth-place of the promised 
Governor of Israel : and he then sent the wise 
men forward to Bethlehem with a strict injunc- 
tion, that, having found the child, they should 
report their discovery to him; professing his in- 
tention to 14 come and worship him also;" but 
cherishing the secret purpose of " seeking to 
destroy him!" 

But the providence of God watched over 
the preservation of his Son. By the special 
warning of God, the wise men did not return 
to Herod, but " departed into their own coun- 
try another way and Joseph also, by a simi- 
lar warning, " arose, and took the young child 
and his mother by night, and departed into 
Egypt. Then Herod, when he saw that he 
was mocked of the wise men," that is, de- 
luded or disappointed by them, " was exceed- 
ing wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the 
children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the 
coasts" or confines " thereof, from two years 
old and under, according to the time which he 
had diligently inquired of the wise men." 

This is St. Matthew^s account of the trans- 
action : and it is confirmed by the testimony of 
ancient Christian writers : by Justin Martyr, 
who wrote before the middle of the second 
century; by Irenaeus who lived in the same 



118 



The children 



century ; and by Origen in the third a . Not to 
mention any more references to Christian 
writers, Herod's slaughter of the infants is also 
alluded to as a known truth by Macrobius a 
Roman writer, who lived at the latter end of the 
fourth and the beginning of the fifth century, 
but affirms that he compiled his history out of 
earlier books. By putting Syria instead of 
Bethlehem he makes it probable, that he did 
not borrow this part of his narrative from St. 
Matthew : and being also as he was a bigotted 
heathen, it is not likely that he should have 
been partial to the Gospel history b . 

The manner, in which Macrobius alludes to 
it, is this: "When Augustus had heard that 
among the children within two years of age, 
which Herod King of the Jews commanded to 
be slain in Syria, his own son had been killed, 
he said, It is better to be Herod's swine than 
his son c ." Herod in fact had no son of that 
age: one of his sons however, Antipater, was 
put to death by Herod's command very near 
the time of the slaughter of the Bethlehemitish 
children. And the mention of this slaughter 
of his son, together with that of the children, 

a Dr. Lardner. b Archbishop Seeker's Sermons, vol. v. 
« Dr. Lardner. Dr. Hales's Chronology. 



that were in Bethlehem. 



119 



although they possibly happened at a month's 
distance from each other, is by no means 
enough to discredit the testimony of Macro- 
bius ; which on the contrary will be greatly 
confirmed, if we believe Sixtus Senensis, a 
learned man who lived between two and three 
centuries ago ; who affirms, that he read the 
same account with that of Macrobius, in a part 
now lost of Dion Cassius, a Pagan historian, a 
hundred years older than Macrobius. A book 
also of uncertain date, written in Hebrew by a 
most virulent Jew, and intitled Toldoth Jeshu, 
admits Herod to have done the deed d . 

In truth if he had not done it, there is no 
imaginable reason why it should have been at- 
tributed to him. The story was not at all es- 
sential to St. Matthew's design : St. Matthew 
therefore could have had no temptation, even 
if we can suppose him wicked enough, to forge 
it. Besides, it might have been easily dis- 
proved when he wrote, if it was not true, espe- 
cially as he is understood to have written in 
Judea. Doubtless, if he had been so wicked 
and so rash as to attempt such a forgery, the 
early writers against Christianity would have 
charged him with it : but of this there is not 
the least appearance, nor, on the other hand, of 

tl Abp. Seeker. 



120 



The children 



any attempt to defend him, on the part of the 
early writers in favour of Christianity, which 
was to have been expected, had his fidelity been 
impeached. The silence of both parties there- 
fore, in the way of attack and defence, is a 
tacit proof that the Evangelist stated the fact 
correctly : whilst a more direct proof is afforded 
by the manner, in which the early Christian 
writers actually do speak of it, not in the way 
of controversy, but as a well-known and ad- 
mitted truth. The passage cited from Macro- 
bius also shews at least, that Herod's slaughter 
of the infants was a transaction, well known in 
his time, and not contested by the heathens : 
and, if he transcribed the passage from some 
more ancient author, it is moreover a proof that 
the transaction was well known and admitted 
in the time of that author also : although it 
may happen not to be mentioned in any extant 
work of any other early writer, except St. 
Matthew. 

But indeed nothing is more natural or more 
common, than that one historian should record 
facts, which are not mentioned by another. 
Many facts stand upon the credit of a single 
writer, though not noticed by the historians of 
contemporary events. And it were unreason- 
able indeed to discredit the narrative of St. 
Matthew in this respect, only because a similar 



that were in Bethlehem. 121 



narrative is not to be found in other authors of 
the same period. Many reasons may be, and in- 
deed havebeengiven, particularly by Archbishop 
Seeker and Dr. Lardner, why this event was 
not likely to be mentioned by heathen histo- 
rians of that time ; and why it probably was 
not mentioned by Josephus, the Jewish histo- 
rian : with respect to whom in particular it has 
been well observed by the learned Primate, 
that " as he wrote long after St. Matthew, 
whose Gospel must have been well known in 
Judea, he might, and surely would, have 
contradicted him in this point, if he could ; 
which he hath not." Thus the silence of Jo- 
sephus is so far from being an argument against 
St. Matthew^s correctness, that it is rather an 
argument in its favour. 

Shocking to our feelings as this slaughter of 
the infants is, and repugnant to the dictates of 
our common nature, there is nothing in the cha- 
racter and conduct of Herod to render it im- 
probable : rather the event is consistent with 
every thing which history has recorded of that 
tyrannical and sanguinary prince. His whole 
history, written not by a Christian but by a Jew, 
fully proves that no degree of cruelty was im- 
probable concerning one of so savage a dispo- 
sition. Besides the fierce wars, in which his 
boundless ambition engaged him, he was con- 



122 



The children 



tinually committing murders in cold blood : 
and the victims of his jealous fury were not 
strangers only, but amongst others his nearest 
relations and even his own children 6 . Aristo- 
bulus, brother of his wife Mariamne, was mur- 
dered by his directions at 18 years of age, because 
the people of Jerusalem had shewn some affec- 
tion for his person. He put to death Hyrca- 
nus, grandfather of Mariamne, then 80 years of 
age, a man who had saved the life of Herod, 
and who, in his youth and in the vigour of his 
life and in all the revolutions of fortune, had 
testified a mild and peaceable disposition. 
Herod's beloved wife herself, the beautiful and 
virtuous Mariamne, had a publick execution; 
and soon after her mother Alexandra was put 
to death. Alexander and Aristobulus, his two 
sons by Mariamne, were strangled in prison by 
his order, upon groundless suspicions, as it 
seems, when they were of man's estate, were 
married, and had children. The name of his 
eldest son Antipater may be added to this cata- 
logue of domestick slaughter ; though he seems 
to have been a worthless and abandoned cha- 
racter, who deserved his fate. 

In his last sickness, a little before he died, 
Herod sent orders throughout Judea, requiring 



e Dr. Lard tier. 



that were in 'Bethlehem, 



123 



the presence of all the chief men of the nation 
at Jericho. His orders were obeyed : for they 
were inforced with no less a penalty than that 
of death. On their arrival at Jericho, he caused 
them to be confined in the Circus: and he then 
conjured those who were in power about him, 
by their love to him and their fidelity to God, 
to let the soldiers in upon these men and kill 
them, so soon as he should expire, that all 
Judea and every family might then, however 
unwillingly, mourn at his death. The promise 
was given, though the order was not executed : 
for those, to whom it was intrusted, were not 
wicked enough to perform, what they had been 
made solemnly to undertake. But it has 
been correctly remarked, that "the history of 
this his most wicked design takes off all objec- 
tion against the truth of murdering the inno- 
cents which may be made from the incredibi- 
lity of so barbarous and horrid an act. For 
this thoroughly shews, that there can be ima- 
gined nothing, so cruel, barbarous, and horrid, 
which this man was not capable of doing. In 
most of his actions," adds Dr. Prideaux, "as 
above described in this history, may be read 
the character of a most bloody, cruel, and 
wicked tyrant ; but in none more than these 
two." Dr. Laird ner also has observed, that 
" almost all the executions cited by him, as 



124 



The children 



instances of Herod's cruelty, were sacrifices 
to his state jealousy and love of empire. And 
the slaughter, which St. Matthew has given an 
account of, was made upon the occasion of 
tidings brought to Jerusalem, of the birth of one 
who was ' King of the Jews.' " 

As to the number of innocent children sacri- 
ficed on this occasion, that is matter of much 
uncertainty, and has been also of considerable 
exaggeration. St. Matthew states in our trans- 
lation, that " Herod sent forth and slew all the 
children that were in Bethlehem and in all the 
coasts thereof, from two years old and under." 
By " children" it is evident that male children 
only are intended. The phrase " from two 
years old and under" is perhaps intended to 
signify children under, or arrived at, two years 
complete ; or probably it may mean no more, 
than such as had entered on their second year, 
or were under that age : reckoning " not from 
two years completed, but from two years 
begun f ." Bethlehem was but a small village, 
and " its coasts," or confines, not extensive. 
And further it is likely, that, as the barbarity of 
the emissaries of Herod might not keep full 
pace with his own, so every possible method of 
concealment or escape would be practised by 



f Dr. Doddridge. 



that tvere in Bethlehem. 1*25 



the parents of the children ; and thus, although 
the order was issued, and with a general lati- 
tude of expression may be said to have been 
executed, against " all," nevertheless some of 
the children may in fact not have suffered 
The amount of the massacre, after all, we have 
not means of ascertaining correctly : it has 
been calculated with seeming probability to 
have been fifty at the utmost 11 : but thus much 
can hardly be disputed, that those who speak 
of thousands of children having been slaugh- 
tered, (the number defined has been 14000,) as 
they have no sufficient grounds or proof of their 
assertion, assert likewise that which is not rea- 
sonably intitled to credit, but is rather to be 
ranked among fabulous and legendary tales 1 . 

REFLEXIONS. 

In reflecting upon the atrocious deed, which, 
after all that may be alleged in extenuation of 
the number of the victims, is in its nature one 
of the basest and foulest upon record, our at- 
tention is forcibly drawn to the wickedness of 
him under whose authority it was perpetrated. 
Herod, the king of Judea, is hereby placed be- 
fore us as a monument of the excessive deceit- 
fuiness and desperate wickedness of the human 
heart, when suffered to follow the impulse of 

g Abp. Seeker. h Mr. Townsend's New Testa- 

ment, chronologically arranged, 'Abp. Seeker. 



i2a 



The children 



its own vicious affections, unrestrained by divine 
grace, and disregarding the obligations of the 
divine will and its responsibility to a supreme 
lawgiver and judge. Herod was devoted, body 
and soul, to the maintenance of his royal 
power : and for the attainment of that end he 
halted not at the practice of any means, how- 
ever impious and unnatural. He supposed the 
life of Jesus to be an obstacle in the way of his 
own dominion, and he determined to remove 
it. By craft and hypocrisy he first endeavoured 
to compass his purpose through the instrument- 
ality of the eastern sages : disappointed by them, 
he had recourse to open violence, caring not, in 
the recklessness of his jealousy and rage, what 
other innocent victims he might include in his 
sentence of destruction, provided he might 
reach the one, whom he dreaded as an impedi- 
ment to his ambitious career. Let his graceless 
resolution and enterprise be a warning to our- 
selves : let it caution us not to give the rein 
to the craving desires of a corrupt nature ; let 
it caution us particularly against the delusions 
of power and superior station ; let it guard us 
against covering our evil designs with the cloke 
of dissimulation and affected religion; let it 
guard us against carrying them into effect by 
cruelty or any other forbidden course ; let it 
prompt us to " watch and pray that we enter 
not into temptation;" but that God, of his in- 



that ivere in Bethlehem. 



127 



finite mercy in Christ Jesus our Lord, will give 
us strength when we are tempted, and " deliver 
us from evil !" 

Again, Herod stands before us as a monu- 
ment of disappointment, as well as of guilt. 
Whatever artifice he conceived for the con- 
cealment of his design, whatever policy he 
practised for its accomplishment, w his heart 
was opened to the eye of heaven; and the 
sun was not more visible than his dark pur- 
pose was to God ; and it succeeded accord- 
ingly 14 ." The child was sent away: the wise 
men were warned not to return : " Herod was 
mocked, and was exceeding wroth, and sent 
forth and slew all the children in Bethlehem 
and in all the coasts thereof." But the infants, 
whom he would have wished to spare, he de- 
stroyed : the infant, whom alone he wished to 
destroy, escaped him 1 . So he plunged himself 
into the deepest guilt ; and gave up his memory 
to endless infamy; and nevertheless failed of that 
which he sought. Thus was Herod " mocked," 
not so much of the wise men, though by their 
means indeed, as of God himself: who will 
ever turn into foolishness the counsels framed 
against himself, or against any thing of which 
he himself hath undertaken the protection ; and 



k Bp. Jeremy Taylor's Life of Christ. 1 Abp. Seeker. 



128 



The children 



who in this particular case acted according to 
the prediction delivered many ages before con- 
cerning Herod, and all resembling him, f* Why 
do the heathen so furiously rage together? and 
why do the people imagine a vain thing? The 
kings of the earth stand up, and the rulers take 
counsel together, against the Lord, and against 
his Anointed. He that dwelleth in heaven 
shall laugh them to scorn : the Lord shall have 
them in derision m ." 

Further, Herod stands before us also a 
monument of punishment. Dr. Jortin has 
wisely and piously remarked, that " there is 
usually much rashness and presumption in pro- 
nouncing, that the calamities of sinners are 
particular judgments of God: yet if from 
sacred and profane, from ancient and modem 
historians, a collection was made of all the 
cruel persecuting tyrants, who delighted in 
tormenting their fellow creatures, and who 
died not the common death of all men, nor 
were visited after the visitation of all men, but 
whose plagues were horrible and strange ; even 
a sceptick would be moved at the evidence, 
and would be apt to suspect, that the hand of 
God was in it. But," adds our learned re- 
marker, " the case of the persecuting emperors 



m Ps. ii. 1, 2, 4. 



that were in Bethlehem. 



129 



and princes is still more particular, if we con- 
sider, first, the matter of fact, and secondly the 
prophecies concerning it." 

The prophecies, which he subsequently ad- 
duces, are those in the second and in the hun- 
dred and tenth Psalms. In exemplifying the 
fact he remarks, " Herod the Great was the 
first persecutor of Christianity, as he attempted 
to destroy Christ in his infancy, and for that 
wicked end slew the male children at Bethle- 
hem. The miseries, which befel this inhuman 
tyrant and his family, are recorded by Jose- 
phus ; and his calamitous death, and long and 
grievous sufferings before it, by a burning fever, 
a voracious appetite, a difficulty of breathing, 
swellings in his limbs, loathsome ulcers within 
and without, breeding lice and worms ; violent 
torments and convulsions ; so that he endea- 
voured to kill himself, but was restrained by 
his friends." 

Other judicious writers have regarded " the 
dreadful and exemplary manner, in which 
Herod was called, soon after" this murder of the 
innocents " to his final account," as a " dispen- 
sation of Providence";" as a plain proof " that 
the hand of God was then in a very signal man- 
ner upon him for the punishment of his wicked- 

n Abp. Seeker. 
K 



130 



The children 



ness 0 . But although a striking, he was by no 
means a singular instance of the punishment 
inflicted upon those, who in the early ages of 
the Christian Church " took counsel against the 
Lord and against his Anointed." 

In pursuance of his former remark, Dr. Jor- 
tin has largely exemplified the position by the 
adduction of numerous cases. It may be suffi- 
cient for us here, and it may be especially use- 
ful, to observe, that those persecutors whose 
names are most familiar to ordinary Christians, 
as persons whose persecution of Christianity is 
recorded in the sacred writings, generally ex- 
perienced a premature and a terrible fate. He- 
rod Antipas, who beheaded John the Baptist, 
and treated Christ contemptuously when he 
was brought before him, was defeated in battle, 
stripped of his dominions, and sent into banish- 
ment with his infamous wife Herodias. Pon- 
tius Pilate, who condemned Christ to death, 
was not long after deposed and banished, and 
died by his own hands. The high priest 
Caiaphas, who also condemned Christ for fear 
of disobliging the Romans, was, about three 
years after, ignominiously turned out of his 
office by the Roman governor. Grandson of 
him who had massacred the infants at Bethle- 



0 Dean Prideaux. 



that were in Bethlehem. 



131 



hem, and nephew of the murderer of John the 
Baptist, Herod Agrippa " killed James the 
brother of John," and put P eter in prison with 
intent to kill him also : and soon after " the 
angel of the Lord smote him, and he was eaten 
of worms," as his grandfather had been before 
him, " and gave up the ghost." Ananias the 
high priest persecuted Paul, and insolently and 
illegally " commanded them that stood by, to 
smite him on the mouth. And Paul said, God 
shall smite thee, thou whited wall." And God 
did smite him. For Ananias, after having con- 
tributed to the ruin of his country by a power- 
ful faction which he had raised, and which 
produced many calamities, was slain after the 
revolt of the Jews together with his brother; 
and fell, not by the hands of his natural enemies 
the Romans, but by another faction of his own 
countrymen the Jews, which was headed by 
his own son. The most awful however and 
most memorable example is the case of the 
great body of the Jewish nation, who with their 
priests and elders at their head had rejected 
and crucified 44 the Lord's Christ." The ca- 
lamities which they suffered in the siege of 
Jerusalem, and the extremity of horror and 
despair to which they were reduced, were un- 
questionably inflicted upon them as a punish- 
ment for their sin. "That generation did not 



132 



The children 



pass away," before their dreadful imprecation 
of Almighty vengeance was fearfully verified. 
" His blood was upon them and upon their 

children." 

We return to the more immediate subject of 
our reflexions, and we remark, that it may ap- 
pear strange to some that God did not defeat 
the malice of Herod, and rescue his Son from 
the menaced destruction, by some mode which 
did not permit the slaughter of these innocent 
children. It has been surmised indeed, that 
their slaughter was intended as a punishment 
upon their parents, for some supposed infidelity 
on their part, in not receiving the blessed Vir- 
gin into their dwellings, or in not owning and 
worshipping our Saviour at his birth p . The 
history gives us no intimation of any such in- 
tention. It may be wiser therefore and better 
to leave the fact where the Scripture leaves it ; 
and to resolve the whole into the good pleasure 
of Almighty God, who is the Lord of his crea- 
tures, and hath absolute dominion over their 
lives' 1 ; and who exercises his dominion ac- 
cording to the various dispensations of his 
providence, sometimes in the ordinary way of 
natural dissolution, sometimes by the fire or the 

Mr. Nelson's Companion to the Festivals. 
* Bp. Jeremy Taylor. 



that were in Bethlehem. 



3 33 



pestilence, and sometimes by the sword. Still 
let it be observed, that in the present case he 
had a particular and a discernible end to 
serve by the event, and he " made these infants 
to glorify him by their deaths \" forasmuch as 
he caused to appear thereby the extreme malice 
of Herod, and the imminent danger and peril 
of the child Jesus ; and thus magnified his own 
wisdom in contriving, and his own power in 
accomplishing, the preservation of his Son. In 
this manner, according to the Psalmist's words, 
he " ordained strength," or gave additional 
evidence to the Christian faith ; and by so do- 
ing " perfected praise" to his holy name, even 
from the dying cries which proceeded out of 
the mouths of these babes and sucklings r . 

Meanwhile with respect to the infants them- 
selves it may be observed, that as their des- 
tiny for the present was at the absolute disposal 
of the Lord of all, so also was their destiny for 
the future ; and that if he saw good, let us not 
say according to the rule of his equity, but in 
the fulness of his mercy and compassion, to 
grant them a compensation for their premature 
loss of life in an abiding state of superior hap- 
piness, there was no one to gainsay his deci- 
sion. It was accordingly usual with the ancient 



! Abp. Seeker. 



134 



The children 



writers of the Church to represent them, as 
" martyrs not in will, but in deed 8 ;" as incapa- 
ble of choosing to suffer for Christ, but as 
having actually so suffered ; as disqualified by 
their age for joining the battle, but never- 
theless capable of wearing the crown : and in 
pursuance it was usual with them to suppose, 
that Almighty God supplied by his manner of 
entertaining the sacrifice what was defective in 
the self-devotion of these infants; and so re- 
ceived them to himself, "that, as their misery 
and death, so also their glorification, might 
have the same Author in the free exercise of his 
will 1 ." And surely, though nothing be ex- 
pressly and peculiarly written concerning their 
future fate, there is nothing at variance with 
holy writ, nothing presumptuous, in believing, 
that having been thus by suffering on Christ's 
account secured from sin, it may have been 
their lot, doubtless on his account also, to " pass 
through the grave and gate of death" into the 
regions of life and glory; being not defiled 
with sensual pleasures, and having left the 
world in virgin innocence; being truly redeemed 
from among men, and being a sort of first fruits 
unto God and to the Lamb u 8 

But not to speculate further upon their con- 



s Bp. Sparrow. ! Bp, Jeremy Taylor. u Dean Stanhope. 



that were in Bethlehem. 



135 



dition, we may derive from the history a lesson 
applicable to our own circumstances. For 
thus much we may be taught by their suffering, 
that affliction and persecution even unto death 
may be undergone in this world, without de- 
ranging the purposes of that over-ruling Power 
who permits them, and without impeachment of 
the innocence of those by whom they are un- 
dergone. And we may be well assured, that 
the more nearly we approach to the purity from 
sin of these innocent children, the more quali- 
fied we shall be to "glorify God by our deaths," 
whenever and however it may please him of his 
great mercy to take our souls unto himself; 
and to " follow the Lamb whithersoever he 
goeth amongst those who are without fault 
before the throne of God x ." 

This is one of the best uses which we can 
make of this festival : namely, whilst we com- 
memorate the children who are the subject of 
it, to cultivate in ourselves the good qualities 
by which young children are distinguished ; 
their humility, simplicity, and contentedness ; 
their freedom from deliberate and habitual 
wickedness ; their affection for their parents ; 
their implicit confidence in their parents' pro- 
tection ; and their ready obedience to their 



% Rev. xiv. 4, 5. 



136 



The children 



will. And this is the use to which the Church 
directs us, when in the Collect of the day she 
teaches us thus to pray. " O Almighty God, 
who out of the mouths of babes and sucklings 
hast ordained strength, and madest infants to 
glorify thee by their deaths ; mortify and kill 
all vices in us, and so strengthen us by thy 
grace, that by the innocency of our lives, and 
constancy of our faith even unto death, we 
may glorify thy holy name ; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen." 

" y Almighty and everlasting God, whose 
righteousness is like the strong mountains, 
and thy judgments like the great deep ; and 
who, by that barbarous murder as on this day 
committed, hast taught us that" neither unripe 
age, nor unoffending innocence, " is more se- 
cure from violence than from natural death : 
teach us also hereby so to number our days, 
that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. 
And grant, that neither the splendor of any 
thing that is great nor the conceit of any thing 
that is good in us, may withdraw our eyes from 
looking upon ourselves as sinful dust and 
ashes : but that we may press forward to the 
prize of the high calling that is before us, in 
faith and patience, humility and meekness, 

y From the Form of prayer on the day of King Charles 
the First's martyrdom, 



that were in Bethlehem. 



137 



mortification and self-denial, charity and con- 
stant perseverance unto the end : and all this 
for thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ's sake ; to 
whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all 
honour and glory, world without end. Amen. 

Heard ye the cry of loud lament, 
Through Ram Ail's street that runs ? 

'Tis Rachel's voice in anguish sent : 
The mother wails her sons. 

Forbear to wail thy children's fate ; 

Restrain thy bursting tears : 
And trust, that in a better state 

A happier lot is theirs. 

What tho' the tyrant's ruthless sway 

Their infant blood hath spilt ; 
The sword, that lops their life away, 

Secures their soul from guilt. 

Nor fond the precious hope we deem, 

That He, at whom in vain 
Was aimed the stroke which fell on them, 

Hath cleansed their inborn stain : 

That God, who chose the martyr's place 

For them thus soon to fill, 
Hath with the fulness of his grace 

Supplied their want of will : 

That they, in infant purity 

The path of death who trod, 
Rais'd with the pure in heart shall sue 

The presence of their God. 



ST. PAUL. 



Saul, who also is called Paul. Acts xiii. 9. 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ST. PAUL. 

THERE is a peculiarity in the festival of this 
day; in that it is commemorative, not of the 
death or martyrdom of the Saint who is the 
subject of it, but of his conversion to the 
Christian faith ; a peculiarity, the cause of 
which is to be found in the strangeness and 
importance of that event ; in the wonderful 
occurrences which preceded it ; in the testi- 
mony which it bore to God's grace ; and in its 
momentous consequences to the Church at 
large, as well as to the individual who was 
thus brought into her fellowship, " Saul, who is 
also called Paul." 

The original name of the Apostle was Saul; 
and by that name he is called in the early 
periods of his history. Whether he was at first 
called by both names, the one indicating him 



140 



Saul, who also is called Paul. 



to be by extraction a Jew, the other by privi- 
lege a Roman citizen ; whether he was so 
called, merely in compliance with an usage for 
those Jews who were much connected with 
Greece and Rome to assume a name more fa- 
miliar to foreigners than their own ; whether he 
changed his name together with his religion, 
when from a Pharisee he became a believer in 
Christ ; or whether he acquired his latter name 
from his conversion of Sergius Paulus to the 
faith of Christ, being first called Paul in con- 
sequence of that event by the family of the 
Roman proconsul : certain it is that upon this 
last occasion the name of Paul is first attri- 
buted to the Apostle by the Evangelist St. 
Luke, who had until that time continually 
called him Saul, and continually afterwards 
calls him by this new surname ; a name, by 
which he has been constantly described through 
succeeding ages. 

St. Paul was, as he himself informs us, " of 
the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, 
an Hebrew of the Hebrews, a Pharisee and the 
son of a Pharisee." He had a sister whose 
son was a Christian ; a young man, whose dis- 
creet conduct was of great service to the Apo- 
stle, when a prisoner at Jerusalem, and who is 
deserving of our grateful recollection. And 
some of his kinsmen appear to have been 



Said, ivho also is called Paid. 141 



believers in the Gospel, and to have been so 
before himself: which may be reckoned a proof 
of the virtue and piety of this family a . 

He was born at Tarsus, the chief city of Ci- 
licia, "no mean city," a place celebrated for 
philosophy and polite literature : and he was 
by birth intitled to the privileges of a Roman 
citizen. In early life he was probably instructed 
in the accomplishments of his native city, and 
thus became a master of Greek learning, his 
acquaintance with which is shewn by several 
passages in his speeches and Epistles : cer- 
tainly he was for some time educated in Jeru- 
salem under Gamaliel, a celebrated Jewish 
Rabbi, by whom he was " taught according to 
the perfect manner of the law of the fathers," 
and made great " proficiency in the Jewish 
religion," and in " all customs and ques- 
tions which are among the Jews." To these 
branches of education was added instruction in 
the business of tent-making, according to a con- 
stant principle and practice of the Jews, who 
esteemed it a necessary part of education, for 
even their most learned Rabbis to be instructed 
in some manual trade, whereby, if occasion 
required, they might be able to maintain them- 
selves. The trade, to which our Apostle was 



a Dr. Lardner. 



142 



Saul, who also is called Paul. 



brought up, was an honest but mean course of 
life; and, as Chrysostom observes, an argument 
that his parents were not of the nobler and 
better rank b . 

St. Paul's natural abilities were splendid and 
powerful ; his apprehension quick, his feelings 
lively, his resolution firm and immovable ; and 
he was thus well qualified to maintain and pro- 
pagate such principles, as he should judge pro- 
per to be espoused. Zealous in the service of 
God, of conscience pure and void of offence, 
in life unblameable, of integrity uncorrupt ; he 
was thus qualified to espouse the principles, of 
the justice of which he saw reason to be con- 
vinced. His appeals to the Jews, to whom 
was known his manner of life from the begin- 
ning, and the unfeigned thankfulness and satis- 
faction with which he reflects upon the motives 
which actuated his conduct, prove the upright- 
ness of St. Paul, and his obedience to the dic- 
tates of his conscience according to the know- 
ledge which he possessed. Thus in his zeal for 
the Jewish law, his hereditary religion, and 
that in the principles of which he had been 
carefully educated, he was at first a bitter 
enemy of the faith of the Gospel, and a furi- 
ous opposer of all who made profession of it. 



b Dr. Cave. 



Saul, who also is called Paul. 143 

He was " consenting to the death c " of the first 
martyr Stephen : and in " the great persecution 
against the Church which ensued, he made 
havock of the church, entering into every house, 
and haling men and women, committed them 
to prison " breathing out threatenings and 
slaughter against the disciples of the Lord," 
" persecuting this way unto the death," ''punish- 
ing them oft in every synagogue, and compelling 
them to blaspheme;^ " being exceedingly mad 
against them, and persecuting them even unto 
strange cities d ." 

In pursuance of this object he applied to the 
high priest at Jerusalem, and procured a com- 
mission from him and the Jewish council, ad- 
dressed to the synagogues at Damascus the 
capital of Syria, that if he found there any pro- 
fessors of the Gospel, men or women, he might 
apprehend them and <£ bring them bound 
ti> Jerusalem." It was on this journey to Da- 
mascus that his miraculous conversion took 
place, of which St. Luke has given an historical 
narration in the 9th chapter of the Acts of the 
Apostles, appointed by the Church as the por- 
tion of Scripture for the Epistle on this festival ; 
and of which St. Paul himself has given similar 
accounts in the 22d and 26th chapters of the 



e Acts yiii. 1. 



(l Acts ix. 1. xxii. 4, 5. xxvi. 11. 



144 Saul, who also is called Paul. 



Acts, appointed for the second lessons respec- 
tively of the morning and evening services, and 
to which he has also made numerous allusions 
in his Epistles. From this period he became 
as zealous in the propagation of the Christian 
faith, of the heavenly origin of which he was 
now convinced, as he had previously been in 
hostility to it, and in defence of his paternal 
religion. 

Paul having been baptized at Damascus by 
Ananias, a disciple specially commissioned by 
the Lord for the purpose, stayed but a short 
time there with the believers, and then went 
into Arabia ; where it is reasonable to suppose 
that he was fully instructed by a particular re- 
velation in the doctrine preached by Jesus Christ 
when here upon earth ; in all the things said 
and done by him, in his sufferings, his cruci- 
fixion, his resurrection, and ascension : and in 
the fulfilment of the ancient prophecies in his 
person. Thus qualified by divine illumination, 
and by diligent reading of the holy Scriptures 
of the Old Testament, he returned from Arabia 
three years after his conversion, and " straight- 
way he preached Christ in the synagogues, 
that he is the Son of God." And thereupon 
proceeding from scene to scene in the ap- 
pointed work of his ministry, he " shewed 
first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, 



■Saul, who also is called Paul. 



145 



and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and 
then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, 
and turn to God, and do works meet for re- 
pentance." For it should be observed, that, 
although St. Paulas preaching of Christ is men- 
tioned in the history in immediate connexion 
with his conversion, there is good reason to 
suppose, that he did not begin to preach till 
after his return from Arabia, according to what 
he says of himself in his Epistle to the Galatians: 
but St. Luke takes no notice of the intervening 
period of his sojourn in Arabia, probably be- 
cause he did not discharge any part of his 
ministerial office in that country, and it was 
the Evangelist's business to limit his narration 
to the actual preaching of the Gospel : at least 
he may have omitted this early part of St. Paul's 
history, as he did afterwards his voyage to Crete, 
both being inconsiderable, compared with his 
more publick ministry in the populous cities 
and countries of Asia and Europe, which forms 
the principal part of the Acts of the Apostles, 
and to which the sacred historian hastens, after 
a cursory view of the earlier transactions 6 . 

The preaching of St. Paul was commenced 
with such strength and cogency of argument, 
as to " confound the Jews, which dwelt at 

e Dr, Lardner, Dr. Hales, 
L 



146 



Saul, who also is called Paul, 



Damascus." In their indignation and resent- 
ment they formed a design upon his life: but 
the disciples found means to provide for his 
escape. Whereupon he went to Jerusalem ; 
and, when he was come thither, " he assayed 
to join himself to the disciples; but they were 
all afraid of him, and believed not that he was 
a disciple." They well knew his former bigotry 
and persecution of the Church : they probably 
were not well acquainted with, or were not fully 
assured of, his miraculous conversion and the 
subsequent alteration in his conduct, by reason 
of the little intercourse which prevailed between 
Jerusalem and Damascus, and of the still less 
intercourse between Jerusalem and Arabia, whi- 
ther St. Paul had retired : and the persecution, 
to which the Church in Judea still continued 
subject, naturally made its members fearful and 
cautious f . By the intervention of Barnabas 
however, whose previous acquaintance with 
him is matter rather of conjecture than of cer- 
tainty g , but to whom he found means of giving 
a convincing account of his conversion, he was 
introduced to the Apostles then at Jerusalem, 
namely, James the Lord's brother, and Peter h : 
after which he appears to have been readily re- 
ceived by the disciples or believers in general. 



f Br Hales. « Dr. Lardner. 



11 Gal, i. 18, 19, 



Saul, ivho also is called Paul. 147 



44 And he was with them, coming in and going 
out at Jerusalem. And he spake boldly in the 
name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against 
the Grecians," that is, the Greek proselytes to 
the Jewish religion, from whom his life was 
endangered. Whereupon, after fifteen days, 
the brethren, being apprised of his danger, 
brought him in safety to Csesarea, and thence 
caused him to be conveyed to Tarsus 1 . 

Tarsus was now the chief city of Cilicia ; 
but, although the native place of St. Paul, he 
appears not to have visited it, since he first 
went up to Jerusalem to study the law under 
Gamaliel. Here, or in the neighbouring " re- 
gions of Syria and Cilicia V* ne seems to have 
continued for about three years, preaching in 
the name of Jesus to native Jews and to pro- 
selytes of the Jewish religion. After that period, 
in company with Barnabas who had sought 
him at Tarsus for the purpose, he went to An- 
tioch on the Orontes, the capital of Syria, and 
began to preach to the Gentiles, of whom a 
Church had been previously formed there, 
which had been increased by the preaching of 
Barnabas. 44 And it came to pass that a 
whole year they assembled themselves with the 
Church, and taught much people 1 ." In the 



i Acts ix. 26—31, k Gal. i. 21. 1 Acts xi. 24—26, 



148 



Sauls who also is called Paul. 



following year he was commissioned, together 
with Barnabas, to convey the charitable con- 
tributions of the Syrian Christians to their poor 
brethren of Judea. During this visit to Jeru- 
salem, he is supposed to have seen that vision, 
to which he adverts in his speech to the Jewish 
people in the 22d chapter of the Acts, an- 
nouncing his approaching mission by the Lord 
to the Gentiles. 

Upon his return to Antioch this mission took 
effect. The 13th chapter of the Acts com- 
mences with recording the separation of Paul 
and Barnabas, by the express appointment of 
the Holy Spirit, and by the prayers and impo- 
sition of hands of the prophets and teachers of 
the Church at Antioch, for the work whereunto 
the Holy Spirit had called them : and the suc- 
ceeding chapters of the Acts are almost in- 
tirely occupied in describing the travels of the 
Apostle, and the different scenes and operations 
of his ministry, and the sufferings which he un- 
derwent, first in company with Barnabas, who 
was for some time his constant associate, at- 
tended by Mark in , "sister's son to Barnabas;" 
and afterwards with other companions, such 
as Silas, and Timothy, and Luke the Evange- 
list, and others n . 

m Acts xii, 25. xiii. o, 11 Acts xv. 40. xvi. 3, 10. xviiL 
18. xx. 4. 



Saul, iv ho also is called Paul. 149 



The scenes of his ministry were varied through- 
out the chief regions and cities of the world. 
His travels extended at different times and in 
different directions, according as his sense of 
duty or the special designation of the Holy 
Spirit guided him, from Judea to Syria and the 
island of Cyprus ; thence over the several pro- 
vinces of Asia Minor ; Cilicia, Famphylia, Pi- 
sidia, Lycaonia, Phrygia, Galatia, Mysia, and 
the scriptural or Ephesian Asia ; to Macedo- 
nia, and "round about unto lllyricum 0 :" to 
Greece, to Crete, to Sicily, and to Italy ; in 
which different regions he founded churches in 
various places, where the faith of Christ had 
not previously gained a footing, of which the 
churches in Galatia and those of Corinth, Ephe- 
sus, Philippi, and Thessalonica, are some of 
the most illustrious examples ; and added the 
weight of his authority for the encouragement 
and confirmation of the faith in cities, where it 
was already established, as in Jerusalem, in 
Antioch, and in Rome. 

In the course of these travels and of this 
preaching he gave frequent proof of his aposto- 
lical character by " the signs of an Apostle," 
which are sometimes described under the ge- 
neral term of ''signs and wonders and mighty 



°Rom. xv. 19. 



150 



Saul, ivho also is called Paul. 



deeds p :" and sometimes detailed in the narra- 
tive of particular miracles. At Paphos, the 
capital of Cyprus, he smote with blindness the 
sorcerer Elymas, u who sought to turn away 
the Roman Proconsul Sergius Paulus from the 
faith," and thus effected the conversion of that 
officer, who when he saw what was done "be- 
lieved, being astonished at the doctrine of the 
Lord q ." At Iconium, in Lycaonia, " the Lord 
gave testimony to the word of his grace," as 
preached by Paul and Barnabas, " and granted 
signs and wonders to be done by their hands \" 
At Lystra, Paul healed a man impotent in his 
feet, a cripple from his mother's womb, who 
never had walked ; and caused him to stand 
upright on his feet, to leap and to walk 5 . At 
Philippi, he cured a damsel, possessed with a 
spirit of divination ; calling on it to come out of 
her 1 . At Ephesus, "God wrought special mira- 
cles by the hands of Paul ; so that from his 
body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs 
or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, 
and the evil spirits went out of them"." At 
Troas, "a young man named Eutychus, had 
sunk down with sleep, and fallen down 
from the third loft, and was taken up dead : 
but Paul went down, and fell on him, and em- 

p 2 Cor. xii. 12. q Acts xiii. 8—11. r Acts xiv. 3. 
8 Acts xvi. 10. 4 Acts xvi. 17, 18. u Acts xix. 11 , 12. 



Saul? who also is called Paul. 151 



braced him, and said, Trouble not yourselves, 
for his life is in him : and they brought the 
young man alive x ." In the island of Melita, 
" the father of Publius, the chief man of the 
island, lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux : 
to whom Paul entered in, and laid his hands on 
him, and healed him. So when this was done, 
others also, which had diseases in the island, 
came and were healed 

These miracles are stated by St. Luke to 
have been wrought by our Apostle; but it is 
manifest that these are by no means the whole 
that were wrought by him. He himself informs 
us that he wrought " signs and wonders and 
mighty deeds" at Corinth 2 : that he did the 
same at Thessalonica is not obscurely intimated 
by him in his first Epistle to the Thessalonians a ; 
and from his Epistle to the Galatian churches 
it is fully evident, that he " wrought miracles 
among them," and conferred on them gifts of 
the Holy Spirit b : although it did not fail with- 
in the compendious plan of the Evangelist to 
record them. From those however which he 
has recorded, as well as from those which he 
has omitted, it may be well supposed that 
St. Paul wrought miracles in all or most other 

x Acts xx. 9. y Acts sxviii, 5. z 2 Cor. xii. 22. 

a I Thess, i. 5. b Gal. iii. 2, 5, 



152 Saul, who also is called Paul, 



places, where he made any stay in preaching' 
the Gospel c . 

In some cases also the divine power was put 
forth in attestation of his mission, wherein the 
Apostle was rather the occasion or the subject 
of the miracle than the agent of it. Such was 
the case at Philippi, when, during the midnight 
imprisonment of Paul and Silas, " suddenly 
there was a great earthquake, so that the found- 
ations of the prison were shaken : and imme- 
diately all the doors were opened, and every 
one's bands were loosed d ." Such again was the 
case in Mel it a, when " a viper having fastened 
on the hand of Paul," and the people being in 
expectation tc that he should have swollen, or 
fallen down dead suddenly, he shook off the 
beast into the fire, and felt no harm 6 ." And 
when at Lystra the people " having stoned Paul, 
and drawn him out of the city supposing he had 
been dead," the Apostle nevertheless, " as the 
disciples stood round about him, rose up and 
came into the city," the effect appears justly 
attributable to supernatural power exerted for 
the Apostle's preservation f . 

His teaching was recommended by a forcible 
strain of eloquence, for which he was so distin- 
guished, that when the people of Lystra would 

c Dr. Lardner. d Acts xvi. 26. e Acts xxviii, 5, 6L 
f Acts xiv. 19. 



Saul, who also is called Paul. 



153 



have done sacrifice to Barnabas and Paul, in ac- 
knowledgment of their sense of the divine power 
manifested by the miracles of the Apostles, 
they called Paul Mercurius, the reputed "god of 
eloquence, ' 4 because he was the chief speaker C 
The book of the Acts contains numerous ex- 
amples of his powers of oratory, marked by 
various excellent qualities, and adapted with 
singular propriety and ability to the different 
auditories, to which they were respectively ad- 
dressed. Of this we have ample evidence in 
his arguments with the Jews of Antioch in Pi- 
sidia, and with the Gentiles whether of Lystra 
or of Athens, the former rude and illiterate, the 
latter a refined and learned people : in the frank 
exposition of his principles and conduct before 
the people of Jerusalem; in his skilful plead- 
ings and forcible reasonings before Felix ; in 
his persuasive vindication of himself and of his 
religion before Agrippa ; and in his solemn and 
most pathetick farewell address to the elders 
of the Ephesian Church 11 . These speeches of 
St. Paul form a considerable portion of the 
latter half of the Acts of the Apostles, in which 
his travels are detailed. They are, as effusions 
of eloquence, equal to any thing of the kind 
which the world contains. But they are infi- 

* Acts xiv. 12. h Acts xiii. 16. xiv. 12. xvii. 22. 

xxii. 1. xxiv. 10, xxvi. 2. xx, 17. 



154 Saul, ivho also is called Paul. 



nitely more to be prized, as testimonies and 
examples of the well-established faith, of the 
sound understanding, of the " simplicity and 
godly sincerity," of the affectionate feelings, of 
the comprehensive charity, and of the deep and 
earnest devotion of this great Apostle. 

The same qualities gave birth to and predo- 
minate in the Epistles, which he addressed to 
different Christian societies and individuals, 
who had been converted by him to the faith of 
Christ, or with whom his anxiety for the fur- 
therance of the faith and the maintenance of it 
in its primitive purity had brought him into 
communication. The Epistles were written at 
several times and places as occasions prompted : 
and bear continual reference to local and tem- 
porary occurrences, whilst they abound like- 
wise with the most important doctrines and ad- 
monitions of a general nature. 

The order, assigned to them in the Canon of 
the New Testament, appears to have been re- 
gulated by the supposed dignity of the persons, 
to whom they were respectively addressed. 
But the order of their dates is different. The 
earliest were the two Epistles to the Thessalo- 
nians, written from Corinth about the 52d year 
of the Christian era; being indeed the earliest 
of all the Scriptures of the New Testament. 
From Corinth also, and at about the same pe~ 



Saul, who also is called Paul. 



155 



riod, was written the Epistle to the Galatian 
Churches. To the Church of Corinth itself he 
addressed the former of his two Epistles, from 
Ephesus, about the year 57: and towards the 
close of the same, or the beginning of the fol- 
lowing year, having paid a second visit to Co- 
rinth, he wrote from thence to the Romans, 
whom at that time he had not visited, but had 
received an account of the state of their Church 
from Aquila and Priscilla, two Christians who 
were banished thence by the edict of the Em- 
peror Claudius, and with whom St. Paul had 
lived during his former visit to Corinth. 

From his second visit to Corinth on his re- 
turn into Judea, he passed through Macedo- 
nia ; from which country, probably from Phi- 
lippi, he wrote his second Epistle to the Co- 
rinthians. No Epistle appears to have been 
written in the interval between this date, 
namely, the 58th year of the Christian era, and 
the 61st. At the latter period the Apostle was 
a prisoner at Rome, where, as St. Luke informs 
us, " he dwelt two years in his own hired house, 
and received all that came in unto him, preach- 
ing the kingdom of God, and teaching those 
things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with 
all confidence, no man forbidding him;" and he 
there employed a portion of his time in writing 
letters to several of the Churches from which 
his personal attention was now of necessity 



156 



Saul, who also is called Paid. 



withheld. To this place and period are accord- 
ingly assigned the Epistles to the Ephesians, the 
Philippians, and the Colossians, which contain 
affecting allusions to the trial then undergone by 
him for the Gospel, " for which," says he, " I am 
an ambassador in bonds'." At the same time he 
wrote his Epistle to Philemon, or rather towards 
the close of this period of his imprisonment : 
and also towards the close of his imprisonment, 
or perhaps after it was concluded, and from 
Rome or perhaps from some other part of Italy, 
his Epistle to the Hebrews ; concerning which 
it is remarkable, that the Epistle is not desig- 
nated by the name of the Apostle, according 
to his practice at other times ; nor does it dis- 
tinctly state who are the persons to whom it is 
addressed : the most general and the most pro- 
bable opinion is, that it was addressed to those 
Christians of Jiidea, who had been converted 
from Judaism to the Gospel ; and that he 
omitted his name, because he knew that it 
would not have much influence on the Hebrew 
Christians, to whom he was in general ob- 
noxious, on account of his zeal in converting 
the Gentiles, and in maintaining the abolition 
of the Mosaick Law. 

Thus the Epistles, which have been men- 
tioned, fall within the portion of St. Paul's his- 



5 Eph. vi. 20, 



Sauk who also is called Paid. 157 



fcory, recorded in St. Luke's narrative. There 
remain the Epistles to Timothy and Titus, con- 
veying to those " sons" of the Apostle " in the" 
Christian " faith " his instructions concerning 
the government of the Churches of Ephesus 
and of Crete, respectively intrusted to their 
Episcopal care. Of these Epistles the dates 
are not certain : but there is reason to believe, 
that the former Epistle to Timothy, and that to 
Titus, were written about the year 64, soon 
after the Apostle's first imprisonment at Rome, 
and from some part of Greece or Macedonia, 
in the course of his visitation of the churches : 
and that the second Epistle to Timothy was 
written from Rome, whither the Apostle had 
voluntarily returned, and where his exertions 
in preaching the Gospel had caused him to be 
imprisoned a second time ; an imprisonment, 
which soon after the writing of this Epistle was 
terminated by his death. 

These Epistles of St. Paul are permanent 
memorials of the indefatigable diligence and 
comprehensive vigilance and attention, w r ith 
which he watched over the welfare of the 
Church in those parts, where he was prevented 
from bestowing his personal attendance. And 
we may remark generally in passing, as Arch- 
deacon Paley in his admirable work intitled 
61 Hora? Paulina;" has shewn in detail, how 



158 Saul, who also is called Paul, 



these Epistles and the narrative of St. Luke in 
the Acts mutually illustrate and demonstrate 
the authenticity of each other. Meanwhile his 
sufferings for the Gospel were intense and fre- 
quent; and whether for number or magnitude 
perhaps unexampled. Various instances of 
them are specified in the Acts. At Damas- 
cus, soon after he entered on his ministerial la- 
bours, " the Jews took counsel to kill him.*** 
And they watched the gates day and night to 
kill him :" so that 66 the disciples took him by 
night, and let him down by the wall in a 
basket V In Jerusalem, where he took refuge, 
whilst " he spake boldly in the name of the 
Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians, 
they went about to slay him : which when the 
brethren knew, they brought him down to 
Csesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus 1 ." At 
Antioch in Pisidia, " the Jews stirred up the 
devout and honourable women and the chief 
men of the city, and raised persecution against 
Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of 
their coasts™." At Iconium, "there was an 
assault made both of the Gentiles and also of 
the Jews with their rulers to use them despite- 
ful! y, and to stone them ;" hot " they were 
ware of it, and fled unto LystraV To Lystra 



k Acts ix. 23. 
u Acts xiv. 6. 



1 Acts ix. 29, 30. 



Acts xiii. 50. 



Saul, ivho also is called Paul. 159 



they were followed by " certain Jews from 
Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the peo- 
ple, and having stoned Paul drew him out of 
the city, supposing that he had been dead 0 ." 
At Philippi, the masters of a certain damsel, 
from whom Paul had cast out a spirit of di- 
vination, " caught Paul and Silas, and drew 
them into the market place to the rulers. ***And 
the multitude rose up together against them: 
and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and 
commanded to beat them. And when they 
had laid many stripes upon them, they cast 
them into prison, charging the jailor to keep 
them safely : who, having received such a 
charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and 
made their feet fast in the stocks 15 ." From 
Thessalonica, in consequence of the persecu- 
tions of the Jews, who " moved with envy, 
took unto them certain lewd fellows of the 
baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all 
the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house 
of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the 
people," Paul and Silas were constrained to 
flee " by night unto Berea ( i:" and from Berea, 
whither also the Jews of Thessalonica had fol- 
lowed them, and " stirred up the people," 
Paul was again compelled to seek safety by 



° Acts xiv. 19. p Acts xvi. 22—24. * Acts xvii. 10. 



160 



Saul, ivhd also is called Paul. 



flight'. At Corinth, " the Jews made insurrec- 
tion with one accord against Paul, and brought 
him to the judgment seat" of the proconsul of 
Achaia, who however dismissed the accusa- 
tion 9 . At Ephesus, a tumult was raised by 
Demetrius a silversmith, and other " workmen 
of the like occupation," which endangered 
Paul and his companions, so that, 44 after the 
uproar was ceased," he departed from that 
city, and 44 came into Greece 1 ." In Greece, 
probably at Corinth, " as he was about to sail 
into Syria, the Jews laid wait for him," so that 
he was compelled to change his course, and 
44 return through Macedonia 11 ." In Jerusalem, 
44 the Jews which were of Asia, stirred up all 
the people, and laid hands on him :" 44 and all 
the city was moved, and the people ran toge- 
ther, and they took Paul, and drew him out of 
the temple," and 44 they went about to kill 
him x ." Rescued from this danger by the inter- 
vention of the chief captain of the Roman 
garrison, but still persecuted by the people, who 
with the greatest abhorrence demanded his 
death, and pronounced him 44 unfit to live," he 
was 44 bound with thongs," that he might be 
44 examined by scourging," from which torture 



r Acts xvii. 14. 8 Acts xviii. 12. 1 Acts xix. 

24. xx. 1. u Acts xx. 3. x Acts xxi. 27—31 - 



Saul, who also is called Paul. 161 



he delivered himself only by pleading bis privi- 
leges as a Roman citizen, but was not " loosed 
from his bands" till the morrow 7 . By the 
Jewish high priest, before whom he was sub- 
sequently examined, a command contrary to 
the law was given, that he should be " smitten" 
by the bystanders " on the mouth z ." In a 
great dissention which then arose among the 
people, he was in danger of " being pulled in 
pieces of them;" and was only delivered by 
the Roman soldiers, who at the command of 
the chief captain, fearful lest such should have 
been the event, "went down, and took him by 
force from among them, and brought him into 
the castle 3 ." Hereupon "certain of the Jews 
banded together, and bound themselves under 
a curse, (they were more than forty which had 
made this conspiracy,) that they would neither 
eat nor drink till they had killed Paul b ." Nor 
was he saved from this imminent danger, but 
by a contrivance of the Roman commander 0 , 
which was followed by his imprisonment at 
Csesarea for two years d ; then by a plot of the 
high priest and chief of the Jews, who lay wait 
in the way to kill him on his expected return 
to Jerusalem 6 ; then by his voyage to Italy in 

y Acts xxii. 24, &c. z Acts xxiii. 2. a Acts 

xxiii. 10. b Acts xxiii. 12. c Acts xxiii. 23, Sic. 

d Acts xxiv. 27. e Acts xxv. 2, 3. 

M 



162 



Saul, ivho also is called Paul. 



a dangerous season and in tempestuous wea- 
ther, which caused him to be " driven up and 
down" in the Mediterranean for fourteen days, 
and so to be shipwrecked on the isle of Malta 1 , 
and to be detained there for three months*; 
and lastly by his further confinement for two 
years more at Rome' 1 . 

These sufferings of our Apostle are recorded 
by St. Luke in his narrative in the Acts. But 
it is evident that these were far from being all 
his sufferings 1 . In his first Epistle to the 
Corinthians the Apostle himself speaks of his 
having " fought with beasts at Ephesus \" al- 
luding in all probability to his having been 
compelled, on some occasion of persecution, to 
combat with wild beasts in the Ephesian the- 
atre k . And in his second Epistle to the same 
church, he makes a most affecting allusion to 
the dangers and sufferings which he had pre- 
viously encountered, when, speaking of certain 
false apostles who had endeavoured to blast 
his reputation and to rival him in his ministerial 
career, he says, " Are they ministers of Christ? 
(I speak as a fool) I am more : in labours more 
abundant, in stripes above measure, in pri- 
sons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the 



f Acts xxvii. 
1 Dr. Lardner. 



£ Acts xxviii. 11. 
k 1 Cor. xv. 32. 



h Acts xxviii. 30. 



Saul, ivho also is called Paul. 163 

Jews five times received 1 forty stripes, save 
one : thrice was 1 beaten with rods, once was 
I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night 
and a day I have been in the deep ; in journey- 
ings often, in perils of waters, in perils of rob- 
bers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in 
perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in 
perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in 
perils among false brethren ; in weariness and 
painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and 
thirst, in fastings often, in cold and naked- 
ness 1 ." Some of these sufferings are recorded 
by St. Luke in his history : but of others of 
them he has given no account : so that besides 
the particulars, of which he informs us, and not 
to dwell upon those afflictions of which St. 
Paul himself in this most feeling recital speaks 
only in general terms, he must, at the time of 
his writing this Epistle, have been several times 
imprisoned, five times scourged by the Jews, 
twice beaten with rods by the Romans, and 
thrice have suffered shipwreck; for St. Luke 
has recorded but one instance of his being- 
beaten with rods ; and but one of shipwreck, 
which was not until after the date of this Epistle, 
in the Apostle's voyage from Judea to Rome, 
and which must therefore have been a fourth m . 

i 

1 2 Cor. xi. 23, &c. m Dr. Lardner. 



i 64 Saul, w ho also is called Paul. 



The period of St. Paul's first imprisonment 
at Rome concludes the Acts of the Apostles, 
With respect to the latter part of his life, but 
little assistance is to be derived from the other 
books of the New Testament; nor much, that 
can be depended upon, from other ancient au- 
thors. That after his enlargement he travelled 
into Spain, and even into Britain, has been as- 
serted and maintained bv some writers": but 
others have disputed and denied it°. From his 
Epistle to the Romans it appears that it cer- 
tainly was at one time his intention to " take 
a journey into Spain," proceeding into that 
country by way of Rome 1 '. There is no scrip- 
tural evidence for affirming that he carried his 
intention into effect : nor on the other hand is 
there scriptural evidence for denying it. The 
earliest and best evidence upon the subject is 
that of Clement of Rome, the Apostle's con- 
temporary and fellow labourer : who in his 
famous Epistle to the Corinthians expressly 
asserts, that Paul, " being a preacher both in 
the east and west, taught righteousness to the 
whole world, and went to the utmost bound of 
the west:*' an expression, which, though at- 
tempts have been made by some authors to 

B Dr. Cave, Mr. Nelson. ° Dr. Lardner, Dr. Hales. 

* Hook xv. 24,28. 



Saul, who also is called Paul. 



165 



limit it to " Italy or Rome, where Clement was, 
and where Paul suffered 11 ," have been judged 
by others more properly to point , to Spain or 
Britain, which before that period had become 
known and was designated, as the most 
westerly region of the earth. And according 
to this view, Irenseus and Tertullian, in the 
second and third centuries, record the conver- 
sion of Britain, together with that of Spain 
and the other Celtic or western nations, as the 
work of the Apostles and their disciples, but 
without any express mention of St. Paul : and 
in the fourth century Eusebius and Jerome, 
and in the fifth Theodoret, speak expressly of 
the British islands, as having been illuminated 
with the light of the Gospel by this Apostle*. 

From this journey to the West, or if this 
journey to the West be not admitted, then im- 
mediately from Rome or Italy, he sailed to 
Judea; where he visited the churches to which 
he had lately sent the Epistle now inscribed to 
the Hebrews ; and thence travelled through 
Asia Minor, Crete, Macedonia, and Greece, 
confirming his converts, and regulating the 
affairs of the different churches which he had 
planted in those countries. It was the general 
tradition of ecclesiastical antiquity that even- 



q Dr. Lardner. 



r Dr. Cave. 



1 66 Saul, ivho also is called Paul. 



tually he returned to Rome, probably con- 
sidering that city as the most proper place for 
his future residence, as being the place of the 
greatest celebrity and the most universal resort, 
and therefore affording the most useful theatre 
for his exertions 5 . Here however a second 
imprisonment soon awaited him, the probable 
consequence of his activity in preaching the 
Gospel ; and, in a short time after, the sentence 
of death. We learn from the Roman historians, 
Tacitus and Suetonius, that a dreadful fire 
happened at Rome in the reign of Nero, and 
continued for six or seven days. By many 
persons it was thought that the emperor him- 
self was the author of the conflagration: but, 
however that may have been, to remove the 
allegation from himself, Nero threw it upon 
the Christians, and caused them to undergo 
the most cruel persecution. In this persecu- 
tion both St. Peter and St. Paul suffered 
martyrdom, probably in the year 65 of the 
Christian era : the former on the cross, the 
latter by the sword. The instrument of his 
execution seems to have been determined by 
the circumstance of his being a Roman citizen, 
and thus exempt from the servile punishment 
of crucifixion 1 : and it has given occasion for 



£ Dr. Lardner. r Br, Hales. 



Saul, who also is called Paul. 



167 



the Apostle to be represented in pictures and 
images with a sword in his right hand u . The 
cause of his execution may be sufficiently 
found in the general persecution against the 
Christians : but it has been moreover affirmed 
that he drew upon himself the particular indig- 
nation of Nero by having converted a female 
favourite of the Emperors, or, as St. Chrysostom 
says, the Emperor's cup-bearer, to the Christian 
faith x , According to primitive tradition he was 
beheaded at Aquae Sal vise, three miles from 
Rome, and interred in the Via Ostiensis at a 
place two miles from the city, where Con- 
stantine the Great built a church to his me- 
mory, which was afterwards rebuilt upon a 
larger scale by the emperors Valentinian and 
Theodosius the Great, and further beautified 
by Placidia the empress, the daughter of the 
latter. " But his noblest monument," as Dr. 
Hales has well observed, "subsists in his im- 
mortal writings ; which, the more they are 
studied, and the better they are understood, 
the more they will be admired to the latest 
posterity, for the most sublime and beautiful, 
the most pathetick and impressive, the most 
learned and profound specimens of Christian 
piety, oratory, and philosophy." 



'Br. Nichoils. 



• ; Dr. Hales, 



168 Saul, who also is called Paul. 



REFLEXIONS. 

The history of St. Paul's conversion, and of 
the important consequences which flowed from 
it, would give occasion to numerous profitable 
reflexions. But the biographical notice, which 
has engaged our attention, has been carried of 
necessity to such an extent, as to preclude a 
detailed application. Still, in pursuance of 
our general plan, a few reflexions shall be 
offered, for the purpose of shewing in what 
manner the history may be most properly and 
usefully applied . 

First then, although we are not " chosen ves- 
sels" as he was, " to bear the name of the Lord 
Jesus Christ before the Gentiles, and kings, and 
the children of Israel yet are we chosen to a 
profession of the same Gospel that he was, and 
are thereby put into a capacity of attaining ever- 
lasting salvation, to which we may eventually 
be advanced, by following the example of this 
holy Apostle ; by " keeping under our bodies 
and bringing them into subjection, lest that we 
be castaways and by " pressing toward the 
mark for the prize of the high calling of God in 
Christ Jesus, if that by any means we may at- 
tain unto the resurrection of the dead." That, 
which St. Paul said to the Ephesians, is true 
with respect to all Christians, that " God hath 



Saul, who also is called Paul. 169 



chosen us in Christ, to the end that we should 
be holy and without blame before him in love." 
To holiness in this life we, as well as the Apo- 
stle, are unequivocally called ; and a sufficient 
measure of the grace of Christ is given to us, as 
it was to him, to enable us to comply with the 
call. Be it our study to comply with it; anti- 
cipating the result of that day, when we shall 
tind that to be verified in fact, of which God 
hath graciously forewarned us by his Apostle, 
that " without holiness no man shall see the 
Lord." 

Again : although we have no reason to ex- 
pect such supernatural and extraordinary com- 
munications as were vouchsafed to him- who 
was a vessel specially chosen for signal pur- 
poses by the Lord, yet are we blessed with a 
degree of illumination suited to our actual con- 
dition. By means of the inspired writers, and 
amongst others by means of this Apostle, who 
was chosen for the purpose of ''bearing the 
Lord's name before the Gentiles," we are ad- 
mitted to a knowledge of the divine mercy in 
Christ Jesus, and of our duty consequent there- 
upon ; and we are required to exercise our ta- 
lents " according to the measure of the gift of 
Christ." Instead then of flattering ourselves 
w ith the delusive hope of miraculous revelations, 
let us profit by the revelation of God's will 



170 Saul, iv ho also is called Paul. 



clearly laid before us in the holy Scriptures, 
" which are able to make us wise unto salvation 
through faith which is in Christ Jesus." The 
abundance of the revelations vouchsafed to 
the Apostle was in proportion to the parti- 
cular purpose for which he was chosen. Suffi- 
cient for the purpose, for which we are chosen, 
are the revelations which we enjoy. Gifted 
and commissioned as he was, " a necessity 
was laid upon him ; and woe would have been 
unto him, if he had not preached the Gospel :" 
a necessity, corresponding with our measure of 
grace, is laid upon us ; and woe will be unto 
us, if we do not believe and obey it. 

Once more : although we have no reason to 
expect those powerful and miraculous appeals 
which were made to the Apostle, and therefore 
are not encouraged to expect such rapid con- 
versions as his, nor indeed in common instances 
any special conversion, according to the modern 
and fanatical acceptation of the term ; yet ought 
we to encourage both in ourselves and in others, 
through the preventing and assisting grace of 
God's Holy Spirit, that rational, sincere, prac- 
tical repentance which the Scriptures inculcate, 
accompanied with continual mortification of 
our corrupt affections, and continual improve- 
ment in holiness and growth in grace. His 
conversion, under the influence of that Holy 



Saul, who also is called Paul. 171 



Spirit which is always to be understood, his con- 
version was the combined effort of reason and 
of feeling. The miracle, which he witnessed, 
convinced his understanding, that the religion, 
which he had endeavoured to suppress, was of 
divine origin, and that Jesus, whom he had 
persecuted, was the Lord. Feelings of a suit- 
able character followed : and he became a 
humble, contrite, and devout penitent. In these 
respects again a similar course lies open before 
us. Evidences to the truth of Christianity, 
sufficient to satisfy our minds as reasonable 
inquirers into its origin ; evidences of our own 
passions and infirmities, sufficient to satisfy us 
that we are in a greater or less degree offenders 
against God ; are placed before us : if we look 
into these subjects, with minds devoted to se- 
rious reflexion and open to conviction, we shall 
hardly fail of having our reason convinced and 
our hearts affected, as was the case with St. 
Paul. And doubtless it is our interest, as it is 
our duty, whether by an intire conversion of 
our ways, if former habits of abandoned im- 
piety and depravity have rendered such con- 
version necessary; or by partial changes of 
sentiment and conduct, if such changes alone 
are requisite ; at all events by a conscientious 
adaptation of our lives to the rules of the 
Gospel ; to copy the amendment of the Apostle. 



172 



Saul, who also is called Paul. 



H Brethren," saith he to the Philippians, " be 
followers together of me, and mark them which 
walk so as ye have us for an ensample. For 
our conversation is in heaven : from whence 
also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus 
Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it 
may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, 
according to the working whereby he is able 
even to subdue all things unto himself." 

On the whole, in reflecting on the wonder- 
ful event commemorated in this day's festival, 
let our thoughts be turned on the one hand to 
a grateful sense of the grace of God, which 
brought St. Paul to a knowledge of the Gospel, 
and enabled him, putting him into the ministry, 
to be so faithful and successful in preaching it; 
and, on the other hand, to an admiration, in 
order to an imitation, of the bright pattern of 
Christian virtue, which was portrayed in the 
subsequent conduct of the holy Apostle; his 
implicit acquiescence in the will of the Lord, 
his obedience to God^s commandments, and his 
performance of the appointed means of grace; 
his gratitude and devotion; his charity and 
brotherly love; his self-condemnation, his hu- 
mility, his unweariedness in labours, his fearless- 
ness of danger, his endurance of suffering, his 
contentedness under privations, his temperance 
in all things, his self-exercise, and self-corn- 



Saul, ivho also is called Paul. 173 

mand. Let us Tail not to study the picture of 
his mind, as delineated in his history and in his 
writings : let us examine the particulars of these 
and of his other virtues ; let us ponder them in 
our meditations ; let us imitate them in our 
practice ; and withal let us " follow the holy 
doctrine which he taught;" and his conversion 
will have in us its perfect work. So having 
followed him, as he followed Christ, during the 
season of trial, we may be qualified to welcome 
the close of it with his triumphant exclamation, 
uttered not in the vanity of self-righteousness, 
but in devout reliance on the merits and media- 
tion of the Saviour, " I have fought a good 
fight, I have finished my course, 1 have kept 
the faith ; henceforth there is laid up for me a 
crown of righteousness, which the Lord the 
righteous Judge shall give me in that day." 

Collects. 

" O God, who through the preaching of the 
blessed Apostle St. Paul hast caused the light 
of the Gospel to shine throughout the world : 
Grant, we beseech thee, that we having his 
wonderful conversion in remembrance, may 
shew forth our thankfulness unto thee for the 
same, by following the holy doctrine which 
he taught; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 
Amen." 



174 Saul, iv ho also is called Paul. 



" O merciful God, who hast made all men, 
and hatest nothing- that thou hast made, nor 
wouldest the death of a sinner, but rather that 
he should be converted and live : Have mercy 
upon all Jews, Turks, Infidels, and Hereticks, 
and take from them all ignorance, hardness of 
heart, and contempt of thy word ; and so fetch 
them home, blessed Lord, to thy flock, that 
they may be saved among the remnant of the 
true Israelites, and be made one fold under one 
Shepherd, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth 
and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one 
God, world without end. Amen?? 

" Almighty God, who shewest to them that 
be in error the light of thy truth, to the intent 
that they may return into the way of righteous- 
ness ; Grant unto all them that are admitted 
into the truth of Christ's religion, that they may 
eschew those things that are contrary to their 
profession, and follow all such things as are 
agreeable to the same ; through our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Amen\" 

y Third Collect for Good Friday. 2 Collect for the 

third Sunday after Easter. 



Saul, who also is called Paul. 



Behold yon horseman hurrying by, 
With armed hand, and ruthless eye ! 
Damascus-bound, he dooms to die, 
Or deep in dungeon gloom to lie, 

Or feel th' apostate's shame, 
Whoe'er the stamp of Jesus wears : 
Nor sex nor innocence he spares, 
Nor beardless cheek, nor hoary hairs, 
All -reckless if his victim bears 

The Galilean's name. 
Mark well the man ! 'tis Saul, 'tis he 

Jew fierce as e'er ye saw ; 
Of straitest sect a Pharisee, 

A slave to Moses' law- 
Behold yon preacher patient stand, 
With placid mien and aspect bland f 
Persuasive, io ! he waves his hand, 
And tells of toils by sea and land, 

Of dangers and of loss ; 
His limbs by bonds and scourges torn 
With weariness and watchings worn, 
The Gentiles jest, the Hebrews scorn, 
Assaulted, trampled on, forlorn, 
Yet all for Jesus gladly borne, 

The triumph of the Cross ! 
Mark well again : 'tis Saul, 'tis he, 

Prom legal bondage freed : 
Strong in the Christian's liberty, 

True to the Christian's creed. 

List to his tale ! ye hear him say, 
What vision met him on his way : 



176 



Saul, who also is called Paul. 



How from the heavens a piercing ray, 
More brilliant than the orb of day, 

Struck on his dazzled eye ; 
And how, when smitten to the ground, 
His ear received th' accusing sound, 
" Me wherefore does thy fury wound? 
Hard task and painful hast thou found, 

Thy Saviour, Saul, am I." 
Appall'd, to guide his footsteps blind 

He seeks another^ sight: 
But on the darkness of his mind 

Has dawn'd a holier light. 

Paul, on thy truth's unshaken base 
Our faith's foundation firm we place ; 
Nor less with adoration trace 
The riches of celestial grace 

In thy conversion shewn. 
And though no change like thine we seek, 
Nor hope to hear our Saviour speak, 
Nor hope to see his glory break 
Through opening clouds ; with spirit meek 

His ceaseless grace we own : 
And lowly beg, that, when away 

From his straight path we roam, 
His grace may meet us as we stray, 

And lead the wanderers home. 



ST. MATTHIAS. 



The lot fell upon Matthias, and he ivas numbered with 
the eleven Apostles, Acts i. 26. 

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ST. MATTHIAS. 

There is no express mention made in holy 
Scripture of Matthias, the Saint of this day, 
except in the account of his election to fill up 
the vacancy in the number of the Apostles, 
caused by the apostasy of Jinjas Iscariot. It is 
probable however that he was one of our Lord's 
seventy disciples : it is certain that he had at- 
tended on our Lord during his publick ministry, 
being all the time from the baptism of John a 
constant companion of the Apostles; and a 
witness finally of our Lord's resurrection, and 
of the subsequent transactions until the time of 
his being taken up into heaven a . 

It is upon the occasion just alluded to, that 
Matthias is first introduced by name to our 



a Acts i. 21, 22. 
N 



178 The lot fell upon Matthias, and he 

notice. Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve Apo- 
stles, who were originally called by our Lord 
himself to that station ; chosen like the others 
from the company of the disciples at large, and 
equally commissioned and empowered with 
the others to preach and to work miracles ; 
being " numbered with them, and having ob- 
tained part of their ministry ;" nevertheless be^ 
trayed his Master to the Jews, and received 
" the reward of his iniquity," first in the thirty 
pieces of silver, for which he had covenanted 
to betray him ; and then in a premature, a 
violent, and unnatural death ; for smitten by 
conscience for having " betrayed the innocent 
blood," he " departed and went and hanged 
himself," and " falling headlong he burst asun- 
der in the midst, and all his bowels gushed 
out b ." 

Thereupon, at the instance of St. Peter, and 
in accordance with the prophetical language 
cited by him from the J 09th Psalm, it was de- 
termined by the rest of the Apostles, assembled 
with certain others of the disciples, to supply 
the vacancy which had been thus caused in 
their company. Two candidates were ap- 
pointed, qualified by having been companions 
of the Apostles during the life of Jesus, and 



b Matt, xxvii. 3 — 5. Acts i. 18. 



was numbered with the eleven Apostles. 179 

witnesses with them of his resurrection: "Joseph 
called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus ; 
and Matthias," distinguished in the history by 
no more than his simple appellation. Prayer 
was offered to the " Lord, which knoweth the 
hearts of all men, to shew whether of the two 
he had chosen," The choice was left to the 
Lord's decision by the direction of lots. " They 
gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon 
Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven 
Apostles." 

Matthias, being thus admitted to the Apostle- 
ship, became soon after partaker with his bre- 
thren of the miraculous effusion of the Holy 
Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and of its stu- 
pendous effects ; and, in process of time, par- 
taker also of their labours, travels, and suffer- 
ings, for the name of Jesus, and in the propa- 
gation of the Gospel. All his subsequent 
history however is involved in obscurity. That 
he spent the first-fruits of his ministry in Judea 
with much success, is hardly to be doubted : 
but it is very uncertain, whether he afterwards 
travelled into Macedonia, or Ethiopia; and, if 
the latter, whether the Asiatick or the African 
Ethiopia ; or whether his labours were not 
rather bestowed on Cappadocia, his residence 
being principally, according to Jerome, near 
the irruption of the river Apsarus, and the 



180 The lot fell upon Matthias, and he 

haven of Hyssus, on the Euxine sea. There is 
no more certainty as to the manner or time of 
his death, though by general consent he ap- 
pears to have obtained the crown of martyr- 
dom. An ancient Martyrology reports him to 
have been seized by the Jews, and, as a blas- 
phemer, to have been first stoned and then 
beheaded. But the Greek offices, seconded 
herein by several ancient breviaries, teli us that 
he was crucified ; and that, as Judas was 
hanged upon a tree, so Matthias suffered upon 
a cross c . His death is supposed to have hap- 
pened about the 61st or 64th year of the 
Christian era: and his memory is celebrated 
in the Greek Church on the 9th of August, 
whereas the Western Churches, and ours among 
the number, commemorate him on the 24th of 
February. A gospel according to St. Matthias 
is mentioned by Eusebius ; but it is mentioned 
only to be condemned as altogether spurious, 
an heretical forgery, universally rejected by 
Catholick Christians' 1 . 

REFLEXIONS 
ON THE FALL OF JUDAS. 

From this brief sketch it is apparent, that the 
personal character and conduct of St. Matthias 



0 Dr. Cave. 



,l Dr. Lardner. 



was numbered with the eleven Apostles. 181 

will afford but small scope for reflexion. Not 
so the conduct of those, who were concerned 
in his elevation to the Apostolate : of Judas, 
who caused the vacancy, which led to his ele- 
vation ; and of the other Apostles, who were 
instrumental in effecting it. 

First, from the treachery of Judas we may 
learn that spiritual gifts do not confer an exemp- 
tion from the commission or the punishment of 
sin. Judas was sent forth by our Lord in com- 
mon with the rest of the twelve Apostles to 
" preach the kingdom of God :" and in common 
with them he received " power against unclean 
spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner 
of sickness and all manner of disease 0 ." Thus 
he was endowed with singular gifts of the Holy 
Ghost. Yet into the same Judas, being as he 
was " one of the twelve, Satan entered and 
he was filled so full of iniquity, that our Lord 
himself called him " a devil { ." His fall is re- 
corded as an awful warning for us to ?* take 
heed lest we fall" also ; to " watch and pray 
that we enter not into temptation ;" and to 
estimate our condition, less by our supposed 
spiritual endowments, than by the conformity 
of our hearts and lives to the commandments 
of God. What privileges can be a sufficient 



e Lukeix. 2. Matt. x. 1. 



John vi. 70. 



182 The lot fell upon Matthias, and he 



safeguard against the commission of sin, when 
the miracles, the discourses, the immediate 
presence, the familiar conversation of Christ 
himself could not secure one of his very Apo- 
stles from so fatal an apostasy? And be we 
well assured, that whatever be the privileges 
which we possess, if we employ them not with 
fidelity to him who gave them, but act towards 
him as traitors, they will be no safeguard to us 
against punishment. He, who follows the false 
Apostle in his treachery, must be prepared to 
follow him likewise here or hereafter in his fate. 

Again, from the case of Judas we may per- 
ceive, that the wickedness of those, who are 
intrusted with the ministry of the Gospel, is no 
fit argument against " using their ministry in 
hearing the word of God, and in the receiving 
of the sacraments :" which derive their effect, 
not from the personal qualifications of the 
ministers, but " from Chrises promise and in- 
stitution g ," and from the grace of Him, in whose 
name and by whose commission they minister. 
Judas having received, in common with the 
other Apostles, his commission and his power 
from Christ, together with them " departed, 
and went through the towns, preaching the 
Gospel, and healing every where h v" It were 



g Twenty -sixth Articl 



h Luke ix. 6. 



was numbered with the eleven Apostles. 1 83 

injurious to Christ himself to suppose, that the 
ministry of this Apostle, unworthy as he after- 
wards proved himself, was less efficacious than 
that of his brethren in the Apostleship, where- 
ever the seed of the Gospel was sown by him 
" in an honest and good heart 1 ." Nor can we 
without injury to Christ suppose, that his grace 
will now be withheld from the due ministration 
of his own appointed means of grace, however 
unworthy may sometimes be the instruments 
who bear his commission to dispense them, 
provided they be worthily received. The case 
is excellently ruled by our Church in her 
26th Article, " of the unworthiness of the 
ministers, which hinders not the effect of the 
sacrament." Nor can a stronger example, or 
more apposite to the case, be adduced, than 
this of the traitor, who was " numbered with 
the other Apostles, and obtained part of their 
ministry 1 "." 

Again, from the comment of St. Peter on the 
fate of Judas, that " this scripture must needs 
have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by 
the mouth of David spake before concerning 
Judas, which was guide to them that took 
Jesus," we perceive that both his guilt and his 
punishment had been foreseen and foretold by 

Luke viii. 15. k Acts i. 17. 



184 The lot fell upon Matthias, and he 



God. But we shall greatly err, if we therefore 
suppose that Judas acted under a decree of the 
Almighty, compelling him to sin. God knows, 
and must know, every thing, which will at any 
time come to pass : to imagine otherwise were 
to deny his Omniscience. Nay more; he em- 
ploys the wickedness of men for the furtherance 
of his own righteous purposes : and this he 
does in the exercise of his providential wisdom 
and almighty power. But he does not, by his 
foreknowledge that men will sin, lay them 
under a necessity of sinning; nor does he 
cause them to sin, in order that his purposes 
may thereby be accomplished : to suppose that 
he does so is at variance with his mercy, his 
goodness, his holiness, his justice, and his truth: 
The fate of Judas did not come to pass, 
because the Holy Spirit foreknew and foretold 
it : but the Holy Spirit foreknew and foretold 
it, because through the uncontrolled agency of 
Judas it was about to come to pass. The evil 
disposition of Judas was not wrought for the 
completion of God's purposes; but God's pur- 
poses were completed by means of that evil 
disposition which was the result of the trans- 
gressor's choice. The case falls within the 
limit of St. James's doctrine, and thither it is 
best referred for its solution, " Let no man say 
when he is tempted, I am tempted of God ; 



ivas numbered ivith the eleven Apostles, 1 85 

for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither 
tempteth he any man. But every man is 
tempted, when he is drawn away of his own 
lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath con- 
ceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is 
finished, bringeth forth death 1 ." 

The peculiar lust, the prevailing appetite, 
which drew away and enticed Judas, was the 
lust of money. He ran greedily after iniquity 
" for reward." His history never ceases to 
admonish us of the truth of St. Paul's position, 
" they that will be rich fall into temptation and 
a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, 
which drown men in destruction and perdition. 
For the love of money is the root of all evil : 
which while some have coveted after, they have 
erred from the faith, and pierced themselves 
through with many sorrows™:" and his fall 
loudly proclaims to us by example, what our 
blessed Lord impresses upon us by his words, 
" Take heed, and beware of covetousness n ." 

This lust of his, when it had conceived? 
" brought forth sin :" the sin of betraying his 
Lord and Master, and delivering him into the 
hands of wicked men, and causing him to 
suffer death upon the cross : a sin, which has 
been well characterised as one of the most 



1 James i. 13 — 1-3. 



1 Tim. vi. 10. 



n Luke xii. 15. 



186 The lot fell upon Matthias, and he 



daring impiety, and to which no parallel can 
be found in the annals of the world °." 

And his " sin, being finished, brought forth 
death :" an unnatural, a graceless, a horrible, 
a portentous death : a death of that sort, of 
which there are only two other instances re- 
corded in holy Scripture; namely, those of 
Saul and Ahithophel ; the disobedient and re- 
probate prince, the profane and rebellious sub- 
ject. To these is to be added that of the 
traitorous Apostle, who, " when he saw that 
Jesus was condemned, repented himself, and 
brought again the thirty pieces of silver to 
the chief priests and elders, saying, 1 have 
sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent 
blood.*** And he cast down the pieces of 
silver in the temple, and departed, and went 
and hanged himself." Thus awakened to an 
intolerable consciousness of his guilt, and ac- 
tuated by " the sorrow of the world which 
worketh death," he sought not refuge in, he 
closed the door against, that " godly sorrow," 
which " worketh repentance unto salvation, not 
to be repented of?;" that, as St. Peter and his 
brethren emphatically and mysteriously express 
themselves, " he might go to his own place." 
How different was the conduct of this infa- 



° Dr. Cave. 



1 2 Cor. vii. 10. 



was numbered ivith the eleven Apostles. 187 

tnated man from that of Peter, who, having 
denied his Lord, yet filled with deep and 
sincere contrition for his offence, " when he 
thought thereon, wept bitterly ;" and endea- 
voured afterwards to compensate for his fault 
by increased fidelity and unshaken attachment 
to his Lord! Had such been the conduct of 
Judas, how different a place would have 
awaited him ! For, as St. Chrysostom has 
piously observed, so we venture humbly to sup- 
pose, that "Judas might have repented and been 
forgiven, if he had not hastily made away with 
himself through the excess of his grief' 3 ." And, 
in the forcible language of our good Bishop 
Latimer, " Christ shed as much blood for 
Judas, as he did for Peter : Peter believed it, 
and therefore he was saved ; Judas would not 
believe it, and therefore he was condemned, 
the fault being in him only, and in nobody 
else." 

REFLEXIONS 
ON THE ELECTION OF ST. MATTHIAS. 

From the melancholy contemplation of the 
fall of the traitor Judas, we turn to more plea- 
sing reflexions on the choice of Matthias, the 
faithful servant of God, to be of the number of 
the twelve Apostles. 

q Quoted by Dr. Lardner, v. 156. 



188 The lot fell upon Matthias, and he 

The conduct of the Apostolical body on this 
occasion was regulated by a spirit of disin- 
terested and cheerful acquiescence in the 
divine will ; of impartiality and moderation, 
of prudence and discretion, of devotion and 
true piety. 

It might have occurred to them perhaps that 
they themselves, having been expressly named 
and commissioned by their Lord to " preach 
the Gospel to every creature," and to admit 
those who should receive their teaching into the 
Church the avenue of salvation, were sufficient 
for the discharge of their commission, without 
imparting to another an equal share of their 
dignity and power. But it was suggested to 
the minds of the rest by one of the body, that 
the appointment of another in the place of 
Judas was agreeable to an ancient prophecy, 
which intimated the will of the Holy Spirit in 
that behalf: the rest without scruple or hesita- 
tion adopted the suggestion : and thus they 
determined to raise an individual of inferior 
rank and comparative obscurity to their own 
station of preeminence and distinction ; dimi- 
nishing thereby their own rightful influence 
and authority in proportion as they magnified 
his. 

In the choice of the person to be thus ele- 
vated, they acted with admirable discretion and 



ivas numbered tvith the eleven Apostles. 1 89 

sobriety of mind. Personal knowledge of the 
events, which were to form the basis of the 
Apostles' preaching, particularly of that great 
event, the corner stone of the Christian faith, 
the resurrection of their crucified Master; and 
a tried attachment to the faith ; were obviously 
the qualifications, humanly speaking, most re- 
quisite for the person, who should in future 
take part in their ministry and apostleship : 
and such qualifications they accordingly re- 
quired. Thus they shewed themselves supe- 
rior to every suspicion of enthusiasm, of indis- 
cretion, or of private predilection in the ap- 
pointment of the person, w ho was to be adopted 
into their number : looking with a single eye to 
the great purpose of the appointment, and to 
the best mode of accomplishing the end. 

Still they modestly forbore to take it upon 
themselves to decide absolutely on the choice 
of the individual, who should be ultimately 
ranked amongst them. They regarded the case 
as one, which demanded the divine interposi- 
tion. And since the Holy Spirit had not yet 
been poured forth to guide them, as in cases of 
difficulty they were afterwards guided, by his 
immediate inspiration, they referred the matter 
to the decision of the Lord by prayer : and 
having appointed two of the disciples, pos- 
sessed of the requisite qualifications, as can- 



190 The lot fell upon Matthias, and he 

didates for the vacant Apostleship, they called 
upon Him " who knoweth the hearts of all 
men, to shew whether of the two he had 
chosen/' The way of election was by lots : 
" a way, frequently used both by Jews and 
Gentiles for the determination of doubtful and 
difficult cases, and especially the choosing of 
judges and magistrates: and this way was here 
taken, says one of the ancients, on purpose to 
comply with the old custom observed among 
the Jews, that in the election of an Apostle 
they might not seem to depart from the way 
that had been used under the legal state r . ,J> 
However this may be, and whatever consider- 
ation may have guided their determination, the 
particular mode of proceeding was prompted 
by the peculiar circumstances of the case, and 
is not to be drawn into a precedent for us. 
But the principles, from which that proceeding 
issued, are both honourable to the Apostles, 
and worthy of our adoption. It was suggested 
by a calm and deliberate purpose to meet the 
exigencies of the case with propriety and effect ; 
by an absence of all fanatical or partial feeling; 
by a firm confidence in the providential super- 
intendence of that divine Person, whom they 
venerated as the Author of their religion ; and 



r Dr. Cave. 



was numbered ivith the eleven Apostles, 191 

by a devout and implicit submission to his di- 
recting will. It were well that these principles 
should at all times occupy the minds and ac- 
tuate the conduct of all Christians, whether 
Governours of the Church, or people ; both in 
the ordinary transactions of life, and more 
especially in " faithfully and wisely making 
choice of fit persons to serve in the sacred 
ministry of Christ's Church V The casting of 
the lots was peculiar to the then condition of 
the Apostles : the prevailing spirit, which ani- 
mated them, is suited to us all. 

A few words must be added with reference 
to the special object of their worship, to whom 
the Apostles addressed themselves, when they 
prayed and said, " Thou, Lord, which know- 
est the hearts of all men, shew whether of these 
two thou hast chosen, that he may take part of 
this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas 
by transgression fell." That object appears 
to have been no other than our blessed Saviour 
and Redeemer. In the speech of Peter im- 
mediately preceding, he had been distinctly 
named as " the Lord Jesus and here there- 
fore he is fitly addressed by the same appella- 
tion, " Thou, Lord." To him, in common with 
the Father, the attribute of omniscience be- 



s First Collect for the Ember Weeks. 



192 The lot fell upon Matthias, and he 

longs: for of him the beloved disciple pro- 
nounced, that " he knew all men, and needed 
not that any should testify of man, for he knew 
what was in man*;" to him St. Peter had pre- 
viously declared, " Lord, thou k no west all 
things";" and he has expressly assumed the 
attribute to himself, " I am he which searcheth 
the hearts and reins x :" to him therefore the at- 
tribute is here properly ascribed, *' Thou, Lord, 
which knowest the hearts of all men." By the 
Lord Jesus Judas, as well as all the other 
twelve, had been " chosen" to the Apostleship?: 
to trie Lord Jesus therefore prayer is by analogy 
properly addressed, that he would " shew whom 
he had chosen," to be the successor of the 
transgressor, and the future associate of the 
others in their ministry and apostleship. It 
was " the Lord Jesus," by whom St. Paul was 
<£ chosen" to engage in the same ministry 2 : and 
it was the Lord Jesus, the peculiar object of 
the Christian's faith, to whom Paul and Bar- 
nabas commended those engaged in the inferior 
ministry, when " having ordained them elders 
in every church, and having prayed with fasting, 
they commended them to the Lord on whom 
they believed 8 :" the same Lord Jesus therefore 

' John ii 25. u John xxi. 11. x Rev. i. 23. v John 
xv. 16. vi, 70. 2 Acts ix. 15/17. a Acts xiv, 23. 



ivas numbered with the eleven Apostles. 193 

may be well deemed on this occasion to have 
been the object of the Apostles* prayer. Thus 
we find the Apostles, who had united in 
" worshipping a " their Saviour on his being 
parted from them and being carried up into 
heaven, upon this the first occasion, whereon 
their ensuing acts are particularly described, 
again united in addressing to him divine wor- 
ship ; calling upon him with the utmost solem- 
nity, on an occasion the most important, and 
in terms which acknowledge him as the su- 
preme Governour of the Church, and distinctly 
" attribute to him the knowledge of all hearts, 
which is the property of God alone 1 '." The 
examples of individual Apostles and primitive 
martyrs of the Church are strong to the same 
effect : but here we have the collective example 
of the whole Apostolical body, warranting us to 
offer prayer and supplication to the Lord Jesus, 
in the unity of the divine nature, as to Him, 
" which knoweth the hearts of all men, 5 ' our 
Lord and our God. 

Thus elected to his office, St. Matthias, no 
doubt, discharged the functions of it with faith- 
fulness, although the records of the Church 
supply us with little information upon the sub- 
ject. Upon his personal character and actions 

3 Luke xxiv, 52. b Dr. Whitby,. 

O 



194 The lot fell upon Matthias, and he 

therefore no reflexions shall be suggested. 
But something may be remarked briefly upon 
his office, distinguished as it is in the nar- 
rative of his election, bv the two terms of 
" Apostleship" and " Bishoprick 0 ." 

The term " Apostle" denotes a person sent 
forth with peculiar powers to preach the Gos- 
pel and establish the Church of Christ : the 
term 44 Bishop" denotes an overseer or super- 
intendant of the Church ; for such is the mean- 
ing of the Greek word " episcopos," which has 
been transferred under different forms into the 
different languages of modern Europe : as for 
example, into our own, when we speak of the 
Bishop, softened from the Saxon biscop, as 
the governour of the Church, and of the episco- 
pal form of Church government. 

The eleven, into whose number Matthias was 
elected, and to whom St, Paul was afterwards 
added, united in themselves the offices of 
" Apostle/' and of " Bishop." Of these offices, 
that of the Apostle was to cease with the per- 
sons, who were originally appointed to it by 
divine authority for a temporary purpose. Not 
so the office of the Bishop. By those who 
originally held it, this office was conferred on 
others, such as Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus ■; 

f Acts i. 20, 25= 



was numbered ivith the eleven Apostles, 1 95 

Titus, Bishop of Crete ; Linus, and after him 
Clement, of Rome ; Epaphroditus, of Philippi; 
Dionysius the Areopagite, of Athens: in order 
that by these again it might be transmitted in 
due succession to others likewise for the per- 
petual government, order, and benefit of the 
church' 1 . Eusebius, in his ecclesiastical his- 
tory, written at the close of the fourth or the 
commencement of the fifth century, has re- 
corded such exact and authentick catalogues 
of the Bishops, who presided in all the princi- 
pal cities of the Roman empire from the Apo- 
stles down to bis own time ; that it is as im- 
possible for an impartial man, who shall com- 
pare this historian with the rest of the primitive 
fathers, to doubt whether there was a succession 
of Bishops from the Apostles, as it would be 
to call in question the succession of Roman 
Emperors from Julius Caesar, or the succes- 
sion of Kings in any other country. And 
this succession was continually maintained in 
the universal Church, and the government of 
the Church was exclusively administered by 
Bishops, till above fifteen hundred years after 
its establishment, when a new form of polity 
was introduced by speculative men, adapting 
the principles of a republican government in 



4 Archbishop Poller on Church Government. 



196 The lot fell upon Matthias, and he 



civil affairs to the administration of the affairs 
of religion, to the infinite division and injury of 
the body of Christ. 

Together with the name however, the mem- 
bers of the united Church of England and 
Ireland, in common with all duly constituted 
portions of the Church of Christ, have the hap- 
piness to possess the episcopal form of Church 
government. Derived from the primitive times 
of apostolical superintendance, and transmitted 
in unbroken succession through all the subse- 
quent ages of the Church, the episcopal office 
gives a high value to the Church established by 
the good Providence of God in England and 
Ireland : a value, altogether distinct from any 
privilege which it enjoys as sanctioned by the 
laws of the land; a value, participated by every 
other legitimate church, although the laws of 
the land may not give countenance to it, or may 
even give countenance in preference to a less 
primitive form. A Church, modelled after the 
platform of that which was constituted by the 
Apostles, acting as the immediate representa- 
tives and with the full authority of their Lord 
and Master, should seem to be intitled to pre- 
ference over every other form, which mere hu- 
man ingenuity can suggest : such a Church 
should at least seem entitled to be considered 
as not deficient in any thing essential to spiri- 



was numbered with the eleven Apostles, 107 

tual edification and salvation, so far as the form 
of ecclesiastical polity is concerned. And 
although we will not presume to say, that grace 
may not be conveyed, or that salvation may 
not be obtained, under another form of polity 
and from the services of an irregular ministry ; 
yet thus much may safely, and, we trust, inof- 
fensively be said, that under the episcopal form, 
regularly transmitted by succession from the 
Apostles, together with 46 the Apostles 5 doc- 
trine," is to be found " the Apostles' fellow- 
ship* that there, if any where, may confi- 
dently be expected the sanctifying influences 
of the Comforter ; that there, if any where, 
may be enjoyed the perpetual presence of the 
divine Founder of the Church. 

With respect to others then, whom their 
peculiar circumstances may preclude from par- 
taking in the advantages of an episcopal 
church, we make no reflexion: but with respect 
to ourselves, who live in a country where this 
primitive and apostolical form is happily esta- 
blished, we remark that it is our interest and 
our duty to continue stedfastly in the commu- 
nion of such a church ; to appreciate duly the 
character of her rulers, to submit to their autho- 
rity, and to profit by their ministry ; grateful 



e Acts ii. 42. 



198 The lot fell upon Matthias, and he 

to God for the blessing which he has bounti- 
fully bestowed upon us, and praying to him 
that our pastors may never cease to be faithful 
in their ministry, as the Church instructs and 
directs us in the Collect for this day. 

Collects. 

" O Almighty God 5 who into the place of 
the traitor Judas didst choose thy faithful 
servant Matthias to be of the number of the 
twelve Apostles ; Grant that thy Church, being 
always preserved from false apostles, may be 
ordered and guided by faithful and true pas- 
tors ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen " 

" e Almighty God, the giver of all good gifts 5 
who of thy divine providence hast appointed 
divers orders of ministers in thy Church : Give 
thy grace, we humbly beseech thee, to all those 
who are called to any office and administration 
in the same ; and so replenish them with the 
truth of thy doctrine, and endue them with in- 
nocency of life, that they may faithfully serve 
before thee, to the glory of thy great name, and 
the benefit of thy holy Church ; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen." 

" f O God, who knowest us to be set in the 
midst of so many and great dangers, that by 

e Second Collect for the Ember weeks. 

1 Collect for the fourth Sunday after the Epiphany. 



teas numbered ivith the eleven Apostles. 1 99 



reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot 
always stand upright ; Grant to us such strength 
and protection, as may support us in all dan- 
gers, and carry us through all temptations ; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen" 



Blot from the sacred book the page, 

Erase the dread record, 
Which points to each succeeding age 

The traitor of his Lord ! 

That Lord so gracious and benign, 

Image of God above, 
So full his words of truth divine, 

His deeds so full of love ! 

To be the object of his choice, 

To tend him day by day, 
To see his life, to hear his voice ; 

To kiss him, and betray ! 

O, blot it out, the fearful page, 

Erase the dread record ; 
Nor point to each succeeding age 

The traitor of his Lord ! 



Forgive the thought ! For not in vain 

That page recording tells, 
How deeply fix'd the guilty stain 

In Adam's offspring dwells. 



200 The lot fell upon Matthias, fyc. 



It tells, how rankling deep within 
Breaks forth the deadly taint; 

How foul the character of sin ; 
How sure its punishment ! 

Then let it stand ; for so decreed 

The Spirit of the Lord, 
That all of Adam's race may read 

And mark the dread record ; 

May still the traitor's awful fate 
With pitying thoughts deplore; 
And scan their own uncertain state,, 
And tremble, and adore ! 



ANNUNCIATION. 



Mary the mother of Jesus. Acts i. 14. 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF THE VIRGIN 
MARY. 

SOME churches keep four holydays at least 
in memory of the blessed Virgin : namely, her 
Nativity, her Annunciation, her Purification, 
and her Assumption or taking up into heaven*. 
Of the first of these events we have no certain 
or probable information ; none in any author 
of credit, nor in such a form as to be intitled to 
serious consideration. Still less is any credible 
information to be expected concerning the last, 
which, instead of being a real event, is rather 
to be regarded as a legendary and superstitious 
tale, feigned no doubt in imitation of the evan- 
gelical narrative of our Lord's ascension, and 
calculated to exalt the blessed Virgin into a 
condition of rivalry with her Son ; but having 



a Mr. Wheatley. 



202 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 



no foundation whatever in historical truth, and 
dressed out with a display of circumstances, 
distinguished by monstrous impiety, and worse 
than childish folly. 

The other two events are recorded in holy 
writ, and are commemorated by our Church 
in the series of her annual services. But 
though the festivals have some relation to the 
blessed Virgin, they more peculiarly belong to 
our Saviour. The Annunciation has a peculiar 
respect to his Incarnation, which was at that 
time made " known by the message of an 
angel." The Purification is principally observed 
in memory of his being, as on that day, " pre- 
sented in the temple in substance of our flesh:" 
and so the festival, though noticed by the 
Church as " commonly called the Purification 
of Saint Mary the Virgin," appears in the 
judgment of the Church to be more correctly 
called, " the Presentation of Christ in the 
temple." The latter of these two festivals 
would more properly fall under consideration, 
in the series of events belonging to our Lord's 
life: the former of the two may be regarded as 
standing apart from that series, and may be 
fitly made the occasion for considering the life 
of the blessed Virgin, or, as she is called by St. 
Luke, " Mary, the mother of Jesus." 

Mary is represented by the general voice of 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 203 

antiquity as the daughter of Joakim and Anna. 
Their names are not mentioned in the New 
Testament ; nor is any notice taken of her 
parents, unless it be of Joakim, under the 
name of Heli, in the genealogy in the third 
chapter of St. Luke's Gospel : for the names 
of Eliakim, which is Eli by abbreviation, and of 
Joakim, are considered by some learned writers 
as properly the same name, being derived from 
the two names of God, which are sometimes 
interchanged ; and this is rendered probable 
by the Virgin's being called by some Jewish 
writers, " Mary, the daughter of Eli b ." From 
Scripture it appears that he was of the roval 
race of David : but no further information 
concerning him is to be found, except in apo- 
cryphal writings, to which indeed but little 
credit is due. Concerning the father of Anna 
it is generally agreed, that he was named 
Matthan. He is supposed by some to have 
been a priest : and, as the daughters of the 
priests might intermarry with any tribe, it ac- 
counts for Mary's being the cousin of Eliza- 
beth, who was really of the tribe of Levi, 
though the father of Mary, Joakim or Eli, was 
a descendant of the tribe of Judah c . 

According to the Jewish manner, whereby 

b Dr. Hales. 0 Mr. Townsend. 



204 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 



espousals preceded marriage by an interval of 
several months, Mary had been espoused, but 
not married, to Joseph: a man in the low con- 
dition of a carpenter, but himself likewise " of 
the house and lineage of David," when she saw 
a heavenly messenger appearing before her at 
her dwelling in Nazareth of Galilee, and heard 
him address her with the salutation, " Hail, 
thou that art highly favoured : the Lord is with 
thee ; blessed art thou among women." To 
remove the anxiety and suspense of mind, 
natural on so marvellous a salutation, he ad- 
dressed her in the language of encouragement, 
bidding her " fear not, for she had found favour 
with God: " and announced to her that she was 
chosen by the divine will to be the mother of 
the future Saviour of mankind, the Son of the 
Lord, the most high God. At the same time, 
to satisfy her mind as to the event itself, and as 
to the manner in which the event should be ac- 
complished, he referred her for its completion 
to the mysterious and overshadowing energy of 
the Holy Spirit of God, and gave her assur- 
ance in the removal, which had recently been 
miraculously effected of the barrenness of Eli- 
zabeth, that " nothing is impossible with God." 
Mary thereupon professed herself " the hand- 
maid of the Lord prepared to acquiesce in 
the fulfilment of his will concerning her, and 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 



205 



after the manner which he by his angel had 
announced d . 

The faith of Mary was soon afterwards con- 
firmed by a visit to her cousin Elizabeth, the 
wife of Zacharias, and the future mother of 
John the Baptist, whose miraculous birth had 
been six months before revealed to his father 
by the same angel, who had now announced 
to Mary her own still more distinguished lot. 
The blessing which Elizabeth pronounced upon 
the Virgin Mother of her Lord, and upon that 
Lord the fruit of the Virgin's womb ; the bene- 
diction which she uttered upon Mary's faith, 
and the assurance which she added of the en- 
suing accomplishment of the Lord's promise; 
an assurance, to which the experience of what 
had miraculously befallen herself in the fulfil- 
ment of a promise in some degree similar, 
could not fail to give effect ; strengthened no 
doubt the confidence of Mary, and excited in 
her the liveliest emotions of holy joy : so that 
she burst forth into that rapturous effusion of 
delight, gratitude, humility, and pious adoration, 
which the Church introduces into her daily 
evening devotions, as " the Song of the blessed 
Virgin Mary," known also by the name of the 

d Luke i. 26—38. 

i 



206 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 



" Magnificat," from the first word with which 
it commences in the Latin version, u My soul 
doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath re- 
joiced in God my Saviour: for he hath regarded 
the lowliness of his handmaiden. For behold 
from henceforth all generations shall call me 
blessed : for He that is mighty hath magnified 
me; and holy is his name 6 ." 

In due time from the period of the Annuncia- 
tion, the Virgin became a mother. In the in- 
terval Joseph had been assured from heaven 
of his espoused wife's supernatural conception, 
and of the destined birth and divine nature of 
her child f : and as the time of her delivery drew 
near, she Was conducted by him, under a 
special disposition of divine Providence, to 
Bethlehem, the place foretold by the Spirit of 
God for the birth-place of the Saviour. " And 
so it was that while they were there, the days 
were accomplished that she should be deli- 
vered ; and she brought forth her first-born Son§." 

The glory of the Lord which shone round 
about the shepherds in the neighbouring fields ; 
the good tidings of great joy proclaimed to 
them by the Angel of the Lord, on the birth of 
the " Saviour, which is Christ the Lord and 



e Luke i. 39—- 46. f Matt. i. 18—25. » Luke ii. 6, 7. 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 207 



the praises of God chaunted forth by the ac- 
companying " multitude of the heavenly host 
were made known abroad by the shepherds, 
and doubtless communicated with all their 
marvellous circumstances to the mother of the 
child. An universal wonder was the conse- 
quence in those who heard them : but " Mary 
kept all these things and pondered them in her 
heart 13 ;" not making them the occasion of osten- 
tation and vain glory on her own part; but 
secretly meditating upon them, as correspond- 
ing with the testimony which she had herself 
received from the Angel, and anticipating from 
them the future exaltation of the infant, to 
whom she had been the humble instrument of 
giving birth. 

After an interval, probably of several months, 
similar matter was again afforded for devout 
and grateful meditation in the arrival at Beth- 
lehem of the eastern magi, who had been mira- 
culously led from their own country to Jeru- 
salem, and thence to Bethlehem, where " they 
found the young child with Mary his mother:" 
who must have had much more to " ponder in 
her heart," when she saw these distinguished 
strangers " fall down before the young child, 
and worship him ; and opening their treasures 



h Luke ii. 19. 



208 Mary the mother of Jesus. 



present unto him gifts ; gold, and frankincense, 
and myrrh 1 . " 

It was probably during this interval, cer- 
tainly at the end of forty days from the birth 
of the child, that he was taken to Jerusalem 
to be presented to the Lord, according to the 
provisions of the law of Moses, as a first-born 
son: at the same time that his mother offered 
the legal sacrifice for her own purification. 
Then the aged Simeon, under the immediate 
impulse of the Holy Ghost, took the child 
Jesus in his arms, and blessed God, and wel- 
comed him as the long-expected instrument of 
God's salvation; as 44 a light to lighten the 
Gentiles, and the glory of his people Israel." 
Whilst Joseph and his mother marvelled at 
these prophetick intimations of the high destiny 
of the child, corroborative as they were of the 
declarations concerning him previously made 
known to them from heaven, and corresponding 
with the miraculous circumstances of his con- 
ception and his birth, the holy man addressed 
himself particularly to Mary the child's mother, 
apprising her of the consequences which would 
ensue to Israel on the manifestation of the child, 
in the ruin of some and the salvation of others ; 
and of the bitter distress which she should her-. 



' l Matt, ii, 11. 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 



209 



self feel in the depths of her own soui, on a 
sight of the opposition and contumely to which 
he should be exposed, and of that most excru- 
ciating agony which in the event should pene- 
trate his k . 

The flight of Joseph with the young child 
and his mother into Egypt, being the method 
appointed by God^s providence to preserve the 
young child from the jealous fury of Herod ; 
and his return from thence also with the young 
child and his mother, by the like appointment, 
to their own city Nazareth of Galilee ; are the 
last occurrences in which Mary is related to 
have borne a part during the infancy of the 
holy Jesus 1 . Of these occurrences we possess 
no circumstantial detail : but doubtless they 
gave her occasion to feel the first piercing of 
the " sword," destined afterwards to " pass 
through" her inmost soul. 

During his childhood only one transaction is 
recorded, in which however his mother bore a 
memorable part. Joseph and Mary were ac- 
customed to go every year to Jerusalem at the 
feast of the passover : an instance of piety on 
the part of Mary; for, although the law re- 
quired the attendance of the adult males, the 
attendance of females was not injoined ; but, 

k Luke ii. 22—35. 1 Matt, ii, 13—15, 19—23. 

P 



210 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 



whenever it took place, as indeed not unfre- 
quently it did, it was the voluntary offering of 
a devout spirit. When Jesus was twelve years 
old, he accompanied them : but on their return 
he tarried behind in Jerusalem, where after 
three days they found him in the temple, listen- 
ing to the exposition of the law given by the 
doctors whose business it was to teach it; and, 
propounding to them questions on points of 
difficulty with an intelligence which excited a 
transport of admiration in all who heard him ra . 
His mother expostulated with him on his con- 
duct : " Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? 
Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sor- 
rowing." But her expostulation was met by a 
gentle rebuke, directing her thoughts from his 
reputed father to his true and more exalted 
parentage, and reminding her of the necessity 
of his fulfilling the great purposes of his mis- 
sion. " How is it that ye sought me ? Wist ye 
not that I must be about my Father's business, 
or in the house of my Father?" The con- 
ciseness and comprehensiveness of his words 
appear to have rendered them obscure to the 
understandings of those to whom they were ad- 
dressed. But they satisfied his mother's re- 
monstrance : and, together with the event which 



m Dr. Doddridge. 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 



211 



occasioned them, they supplied her with matter 
of profound meditation in their retirement at 
Nazareth, whither they immediately returned, 
and where he presented an example of filial duty 
in submission to her and to his reputed father". 

From this period until after the commence- 
ment of our Lord's ministry, an interval of 
about eighteen years, we have no information 
concerning the blessed Virgin, In that inter- 
val it is reasonable to suppose that Joseph died: 
for on the first occasion, on which Mary is sub- 
sequently spoken of, she is spoken of alone : 
nor is mention afterwards made of Joseph in 
the Gospel history. After the commencement 
of our Lord's ministry she is occasionally intro- 
duced into the narrative; but the occasions are 
not numerous, nor is the narrative for the most 
part, in its relation to her, very circumstantial. 

At the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee, 
which was the scene of the " beginning of his 
miracles," and where he first " manifested forth 
his glory/' " the mother of Jesus was present: 
and when they wanted wine, she said unto Jesus, 
they have no wine." Chrysostom says she was 
moved to this from a consideration of his mira- 
culous conception and birth, of the testimony 
of the Baptist, and of his own gathering of 



n Lukeii. 41—52, 



212 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 



disciples 0 . Possibly too she had acquired a 
knowledge of his miraculous power, either from 
some previous exercise of it in private, or from 
some private intimation that he possessed it: 
and she appears to have thought, that now the 
seasonable opportunity was arrived for display- 
ing that power, and thus manifesting himself to 
be the Son of God. 

The answer of Jesus is remarkable. "Woman, 
what have I to do with thee?" or, " what hast 
thou to do with me? Mine hour is not yet 
come." The term of address, " Woman," 
which may have a harsh and disrespectful sound 
to modern ears, probably conveyed no such 
sentiment to those, by whom it was heard. In 
the language of ancient Greece at least, sove- 
reigns used it in addressing themselves to their 
wives ; servants to their mistresses ; and sub- 
jects to their queens. The question however, 
" What have 1 to do with thee," or, " What hast 
thou to do with me," accompanied by the re- 
mark, " Mine hour is not yet come," appears 
to signify, that it was not her province to inter- 
fere with him in the exercise of his divine 
powers, and that his proper season for exer- 
cising them had not yet arrived. Such is the 
constant purport of this interrogatory phrase 



°Di. Whitby. 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 213 



in holy Scripture, where it is used in the way of 
reproof or reprehension ; and accordingly it 
was the almost universal opinion of the ancient 
fathers, either openly declared, or obscurely in- 
timated, that she was guilty of some fault or 
error, if in no other respect, yet in inciting her 
Son to the performance of the miracle with un- 
seasonable precipitancy 15 . Thus it seems rea- 
sonable to understand that reproof was in- 
tended, although clothed in the language of 
affection, kindness, and respect* 1 . His mother 
readily acquiesced in the reproof ; and, at once 
admitting his superior authority, instructed the 
servants to execute whatever he should order r . 

After this miracle Jesus went down to Caper- 
naum, whither his mother accompanied him 5 . 
This seems to be the place where she afterwards 
chiefly resided. And here it was that on a 
particular occasion, when he was talking with 
the people, and appeared by the freedom of his 
remonstrances to be exposing himself to ex- 
traordinary danger, she came with his near 
kinsmen, and caused it to be notified to him, 
that " his mother and his brethren were stand- 
ing without, and desiring to speak with him 
an intimation, which drew from him that im- 



p Dr. Whitby. i Mr. Townsend. 

1—11. 8 John ii. 12. 



r John ii. 



214 Mary the mother of Jesus. 



pressive declaration, probably intended to check 
their interference with him in the discharge of 
his high office, and at the same time to signify 
in a manner peculiarly endearing his affection 
to his obedient disciples : " My mother and my 
brethren are these, which hear the word of God 
and do it," as St. Luke reports ; or, as reported 
by St. Matthew, " Whosoever shall do the will 
of my Father which is in heaven, the same is 
my brother, and sister, and mother 1 ." 

Epiphanius thinks that our Lord's mother 
followed him every where during his preaching : 
but the Evangelists do not mention her, when 
they speak of the holy women who were his 
followers and attendants". The only remaining 
occasion indeed, on which she is mentioned 
before the close of the Gospel history, is that 
where she is represented by St. John, as stand- 
ing by the cross of Jesus, whereon he was sus- 
pended during his last bitter agonies. " Neither 
her own danger, nor the sadness of the spec- 
tacle, nor the reproaches and insults of the 
people, could restrain her from performing the 
last sad office of duty and tenderness to her 
divine Son upon the cross*." Nor did the 
excruciating agonies of body and soul, which 

* Luke viii. 2L. Matt. xii. 46—50. u Dr. Doddridge. 
* Dr. Doddridge. 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 



215 



he endured, prevent him from returning her 
maternal attention with a most affecting testi- 
mony of filial regard. " When Jesus therefore 
saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, 
whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, 
Woman, behold thy son. Then saith he to the 
disciple, Behold thy mother?:" thus directing 
her for future support, in her condition, pro- 
bably, of widowhood, and of now approaching 
childlessness, to the filial care of him, who is 
familiarly known as " the beloved disciple of 
Jesus ;" and thus calling upon that beloved 
disciple to administer to her, who was with such 
solemnity bequeathed to his protection, the 
affectionate regards of a son. The words were 
few and simple indeed, but full of meaning, 
easily and equally understood, and obeyed by 
both : for " from that hour that disciple took 
her unto his own home ;" and assuredly beheld 
and treated her with ail the respect and ten- 
derness due to such a motiier so recommended z . 

It was now that a sword, according to the 
prophecy of Simeon, pierced through the soul 
of the blessed Virgin, when she saw her son set 
up as "a sign" or spectacle of publick ignominy; 
and heard him " spoken against," and blas- 
phemed, and shortly after beheld him pierced to 



y John xix. 26, 27. 



z Dr. Hales. 



216 Mary the mother of Jesus . 



the heart with a spear. And it has been affect- 
ingly surmised, that perhaps the extremity of 
her sorrows might so overwhelm her spirits, as 
to render her incapable of attending the sepul- 
chre a . However this may be, the fact is 
certain, and is remarkable, that she is not 
named as attending the sepulchre with the 
other women, with w hom she had attended the 
cross : nor is she named again in the sacred 
history, except where it is related by St. Luke, 
that the apostles, having witnessed our Lord's 
ascension, " returned to Jerusalem, and abode 
in an upper room, and there continued with one 
accord in prayer and supplication, with the 
women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and 
with his brethren V 

The early history of the Church gives no 
account of her. As it is expressly stated that St. 
John " took her to his own home from the 
time J> of our Lord's crucifixion, so it is highly 
probable that she continued to reside with him 
till her death. Whether she died at Jerusalem, 
before he withdrew from Judea ; or accom- 
panied him to Ephesus, and there died in an 
extreme old age ; has been matter of dispute. 
The most likely supposition is, that she died at 
Jerusalem, about fifteen years after our Lord's 



a Dr. Doddridge. 



Acts i. 14. 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 217 



ascension c ; though we may hesitate about ad-r 
mitting the identity of the place now reputed 
to be her sepulchre, and exhibited as such, 
together with those of Anna, Joakim, and 
Joseph d . We may well also refrain from dwell- 
ing on the legendary tales concerning her, 
by which fiction has attempted to supply the 
deficiency of historical truth : indeed, it has 
been remarked, that of the many ridiculous 
tales that are forged concerning her death, and 
her assumption, or being taken up into heaven, 
the best Popish authors themselves appear 
heartily ashamed 6 . 

REFLEXIONS. 
From this account of the Virgin Mary, we 
may see reason to regard her as distinguished 
by many excellent virtues and graces : by faith 
and piety, and devotion, and obedience; by 
purity and chastity ; by modesty, meekness, 
and humility ; by a spirit of holy meditation 
in divine things ; and by zeal and fortitude, 
and maternal affection and tenderness : for 
instances of all these qualities have appeared 
in the several occurrences in which the holy 
Scriptures record her to have been engaged. 



0 Dr. Cave, Dr. Lardner. d Mr. Maundrell, 

Bishop Pococke. e Dr. Doddridge. 



218 Mary the mother of Jesus. 



We presume that a foresight of these may 
have inclined Almighty God to make choice 
of her for the happy instrument of con- 
veying to mankind the inestimable mercy shewn 
by our Lord's incarnation f . We may esteem 
her, upon both of these accounts, to have been, 
as the angel saluted her, a person " highly 
favoured" by God, and "blessed among 
women and we may honour her memory 
accordingly, and admire her as a bright pattern 
of human excellence, and make her an object of 
our imitation. 

But her excellence, whatever it be, is only 
human. It is never proposed to us as a perfect 
pattern for our imitation : it is never repre- 
sented as free from the infirmities, to which 
human nature is subject : still less is it repre- 
sented as invested with divine attributes. High- 
ly favoured as she was by God, and made the 
object of his blessing, she was only " blessed 
among women." When God sent forth his 
Son, that Son who alone was free from all taint 
of sin, and chose the blessed Virgin to be the 
instrument of his incarnation, he caused him to 
be " made of a woman 

And it is much to be remarked, what a plain 
distinction the sacred writers observe in speak- 



f Dean Stanhope. 2 Gal. iv. 4. 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 219 



ing of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of her who 
was his mother in his incarnate state, the Virgin 
Mary. Of him there are continual indications, 
which point to his divine as well as to his hu- 
man nature. Of her there is nothing said, 
which can warrant the supposition of her pos- 
sessing a nature more than human. She is first 
introduced to notice as a " a Virgin, espoused 
to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house 
of David ; and the Virgin^s name was Mary." 
Afterwards she is mentioned as " Mary," 
" Mary the wife of Joseph," " his espoused 
wife;" 44 the mother of the young child \" " the 
mother of Jesus." Of herself she speaks as 
" the hand-maid of the Lord." By her Son she 
is addressed with no other compellation but that 
of " woman." In a word, no mention is made of 
her but in terms which denote no more than a 
human character, and evidently have no sem- 
blance of any thing of a superior kind. 

Again, it is to be observed, both how few 
are the scenes in which she is related to have 
been engaged ; and how subordinate and in- 
ferior a part she performed in the great drama 
of the Gospel, and with how little deference she 
appears to have been treated by those who were 
engaged in the same transactions. The reve- 
lation made by the Angel to the shepherds 
proclaimed the birth of " a Saviour, which is 
Christ the Lord," but omitted all mention of his 



220 Mary the mother of Jesus, 



mother : and " they came with haste, and found 
Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a man- 
ger. And when they had seen it, they made 
known abroad the saying which was told them 
concerning this child." When the sages from 
the east had come " into the house where the 
young child was, and saw the young child with 
Mary his mother, they fell down and wor- 
shipped him : and when they had opened their 
treasures, they presented unto him gifts :" of 
her they are not related to have taken any par- 
ticular notice. The aged Simeon blessed God 
for the sight of 44 the Lord's Christ," that " sal- 
vation which God had prepared before the face 
of all people:" but to his mother he said no 
more than that which related to the future des- 
tiny of the child, and to the sufferings which 
she should undergo at the sight of his. In 
the course of the history she is not described 
as receiving any mark of respect from our 
Lord's disciples. The scene at the cross re- 
presents her in a state of dependence upon her 
Son, and afterwards upon the beloved disciple 
of her Son, upon whom it was his pleasure that 
the future care of her should devolve, but with 
no intimation of any thing exceeding filial respect 
and attention. And when after our Lord's 
ascension she is finally mentioned, where it is 
said of the Apostles, that they " all continued 
with one accord in prayer and supplication," 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 



221 



they are said to have done so " with the women, 
and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his 
brethren." No peculiar mark of distinction is 
placed upon her in this enumeration, except 
that her name is mentioned apart from the other 
women, a distinction naturally due to her ma- 
ternal relation : but neither upon this, nor upon 
any other occasion, is she treated with peculiar 
deference : she is not appealed to as an autho- 
rity ; she is not consulted for her advice. She 
appears in fact as nothing more than one of the 
ordinary " disciples," one of the other " women" 
with whom she is classed. And thenceforth 
she sinks into obscurity, and her name is to- 
tally omitted in the history of the infant 
Church. 

Again, it is also to be remarked, that whilst 
the Scriptures attribute to the Virgin Mary 
nothing above the human character, and re- 
present her in the few transactions, in which she 
is engaged, as treated with no peculiar vene- 
ration ; they specify particulars which seem to 
prove that she was not exempt from the weak- 
nesses and failings of our common nature. In 
answer to her expostulation in the temple, when 
Jesus demanded, " How is it that ye sought 
me ? wist ye not that I must be about my 
Father's business ?" his inquiry seems to im- 
ply a want of discernment and spiritual intelli- 



222 



Mary the mother of Jesus, 



gence in his mother; or a want of due atten- 
tion in her to his own divine character. When 
in answer to her remark at the marriage feast 
in Cana, he demanded, " Woman, what have I 
to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come:" 
his language seems to intimate on her part an 
undue interference with his authority, and an 
undue precipitation in urging him to display 
his power. And when, on occasion of her 
desiring to speak with him during his conver- 
sation with the people, he said, " My mother 
and my brethren are these which hear the 
word of God, and do it," his language seems 
to convey a tacit censure on the interruption, 
accompanied by an intimation that there were 
others who might be intitled to a higher rank 
in his regard, than those, whoever they might 
be, who were connected with him by the near- 
est natural relation : agreeably to the sentiment 
which he uttered, when in answer to a certain 
woman of the company who lifted up her 
voice, and said unto him, " Blessed is the womb 
that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast 
sucked," he said, " Yea, rather blessed are 
they that hear the word of God, and keepit' 1 ." 

Upon the whole, the Scriptures represent 
to us the Virgin Mary, as one highly favoured 



h Luke xi. 27, 28. 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 223 



of God, but as a woman and as a fallible 
woman : as a creature of the same nature as 
ourselves, intitled to respect and imitation so 
far as her conduct was holy and exemplary ; 
but not intitled to be followed with implicit 
admiration and observance; still less to be 
treated by us, any more than she was by the 
first Christians, with more than human respect 
as is her blessed Son, or to be made partaker 
of those honours which are peculiarly and ex- 
clusively his own. 

From these considerations we may perceive 
the folly and impiety of those, who make the 
blessed Virgin an object of religious veneration: 
conferring upon her the appellations of" Queen 
and Empress of heaven ; Queen of the world ; 
Queen of angels and men ; the mother of mer- 
cy ; the fountain of grace and salvation ; the 
only hope of sinners ; the health of the weak ; 
the comforter of the afflicted :" investing her 
with the attributes of holiness, omniscience, 
and omnipresence, majesty and unlimited 
power : praying to God for her sake, for her 
merits, and through her intercession, and thus 
bestowing upon her the office assigned of right 
to her incarnate Son, " the one Mediator be- 
tween God and men, the man Christ Jesus 1 : y 



i 1 Tim. ii. 5. 



224 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 



imploring her to 44 shew herself to be a mother, 
and to exert her influence over that Son," if 
not to " command him," in their behalf : nay, 
even praying to herself as to the Deity. 44 flying 
to her patronage," 44 committing to her all their 
hope and all their comfort," and supplicating 
her to 44 loose the bonds of the guilty, to en- 
lighten the eyes of the blind, to free them from 
all sin, and to drive away from them all evil 
intreating her to 44 help their frailty and weak- 
ness, and assist them day by day in all their 
calamities, temptations, and dangers and 44 to 
her blessed trust committing their soul and 
body night by night and for ever;" 44 especially 
and in the hour of death recommending to her 
merciful charity all their hope and consolation, 
all their distress and misery, their life and the 
end of it and praying that she would 44 grant 
them to escape eternal damnation, and cause 
the glory of paradise to rest upon them k ." By 
whatever specious name it may seem good with 
those who practise such things to denominate 
their practices, it is plain how utterly they are at 
variance with the blessed Virgin's actions and 
character, as described to us in holy writ; and 
what a charge of folly and impiety they bring 
upon those who treat her with such veneration, 

k All these passages are taken from accredited Romanist 
books of devotion. 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 



225 



On the contrary we perceive the wisdom and 
piety of our own scriptural Church in dismiss- 
ing from her services all such deviation from 
the purity of Christian faith and Christian wor- 
ship, whilst she honours the memory of the 
Virgin Mary as that of one, whom He that is 
mighty hath peculiarly magnified, and whom all 
generations shall call blessed 1 . Be it our busi- 
ness then to renounce the former corruptions, 
and to act upon the Scriptural principles of 
religious duty as acknowledged by our own 
Church. Let us honour the memory of the 
blessed Virgin, and mention her with due re- 
spect. Let us celebrate the festivals, in which 
she is commemorated, as appointed by the 
Church of which we are members. Let us re- 
member and cultivate her virtues. Let us imi- 
tate her example, and thank God for the benefit 
of it. Let us hear the word of God, and lay it 
up in our hearts, as she did, and ponder it, and 
keep it. Let us be ready in all the dispensa- 
tions of his will to say, as she did, " Behold the 
handmaid" or the servant " of the Lord, be it 
unto me according as thou hast said." And 
then may we trust that we also shall be highly 
favoured of God, and be admitted to his bless- 
ing, and be received by him even as " the 



Abp. Seeker. 
Q 



226 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 



brethren and sisters and the mother" of Christ ; 
not through her merits or by any power or 
intercession of hers; but for the sake, and 
through the merits and intercession, of our only 
Mediator and Advocate, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Collects. 

u m\y E beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace 
into our hearts ; that as we have known the in- 
carnation of thy Son Jesus Christ by the mes- 
sage of an angel, so by his cross and passion 
we may be brought unto the glory of his resur- 
rection ; through the same Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen." 

" "Almighty God, who hast promised to 
hear the petitions of them that ask in thy Son's 
name ; we beseech thee mercifully to incline 
thine ears to us when we make our prayers and 
supplications unto thee; and grant that those 
things, which we faithfully ask according to thy 
will, may effectually be obtained, to the relief 
of our necessity, and to the setting forth of thy 
glory ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen" 

" 0 We humbly beseech thee, O Father, mer- 
cifully to look upon our infirmities ; and for the 
glory of thy name turn from us all those evils 

m Collect for the Day, n From the Post-Com- 

munion. 0 From the Litany. 



Mary the mother of Jesus, 



227 



that we most righteously have deserved ; and 
grant, that in all our troubles we may put our 
whole trust and confidence in thy mercy, and 
evermore serve thee in holiness and pureness of 
living, to thy honour and glory ; through our 
only Mediator and Advocate, Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen" 



Daughter of David, Maiden meek ! 
Pledge of thy faith we hear thee speak 

The mild submissive word : 
5< Behold me ready to fulfil 
My great Creator's holy will, 

The handmaid of the Lord." 

Espous'd of Joseph, Virgin chaste ! 
Thine infant on thy bosom plac'd, 

Thy Son and Saviour blest, 
With care devout we see thee mark 
Each wond'rous act, each saying dark, 

And store them in thy breast. 

Mother of Jesus, Parent dear ! 
We see thee stand the Sufferer near, 

With love more strong than death; 
With speechless lip and tearless eye 
We see thee catch his parting cry, 

And watch his fleeting breath, 

Affection, faith, and piety, 
O Mary, we behold in thee : 
Be such thy proper claim ! 



228 



Mary the mother of Jesus. 



" Blest among women" is thy lot: 
But higher meed we yield thee not, 
Nor more than woman name. 

Nor solemn " Hail" to thee we pay, 
Nor pray'r to thee for mercy pray, 

Nor hymn of glory raise ; 
Nor thine we deem is God's high throne ; 
Nor thine the birth-right of thy Son, 

The Mediator's praise. 

Mother of Jesus, Parent dear! 

If aught of earthly thou couldst hear, 

If aught of human see; 
What pangs thy humble heart must wring, 
To know thy Saviour, Lord, and King, 

Dishonour'd thus for thee ! 



ST. MARK. 



John whose surname was Mark, Acts xii. 12. 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ST. MARK. 

THE Saint of this day is one of the two 
who are commemorated by the Church on the 
sole ground of their being Evangelists : a name, 
which was at first given to all those who 
preached the Gospel, though it was in process 
of time confined to those four, who wrote the 
history of the life and ministry of our Saviour, 
and whose four Gospels make part of the 
canon, or rule of faith, contained in holy 
Scripture. St. Luke is the other Evangelist, 
who stands on the same footing as St. Mark, 
the saint of this day. St. Matthew and St. 
John were Apostles, as well as Evangelists. 
The great benefit however derived by the 
Church from these labours of St. Mark and 
St. Luke, in leaving behind them authentick 
histories of our Lord, is a very sufficient reason 
for their being celebrated in the annual course 



230 John whose surname was Mark. 



of the Church's holydays, and being made 
occasions of grateful commemoration to the 
honour of Almighty God. 

In the Acts of the Apostles mention is several 
times made of " John whose surname was 
Mark." When Peter was delivered by the 
Angel out of the hand of Herod, by whom he 
had been imprisoned, the first place of refuge 
to which he resorted was J" the house of Mary, 
the mother of John, whose surname was Mark*." 
When Paul and Barnabas had " fulfilled their 
ministry" of carrying relief from Antioch to 
the brethren of Judea, and returned from Jeru- 
salem, they " took with them John whose sur- 
name was MarkV The same person is spoken 
of again in a subsequent passage under this dou- 
ble appellation 0 . Sometimes also he is called 
by the name of John only : and sometimes 
only by the name of Mark 6 , or, which is the 
same thing, by that of Marcus f , the difference 
being solely in our translation, which has thus 
rendered variously, and with some inconve- 
nience, what in the original language is the 
same name. In one of the passages last al- 
luded to, namely, in St. Paul's Epistle to the 

a Acts xii. 12. b Acts xxi. 25. c Acts xv. 37. 

d Acts xiii. 5, 13. e Acts xv. 39, 2 Tim. iv. 11. 

f Col iv. 10. Philem. 24, 



John whose surname ivas Mark, 



231 



Colossians, he is mentioned with an addition, 
as " Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas/' There 
is little, if any, doubt that all these passages 
have reference to the same " John, whose sur- 
name was Mark," 

In the close of St. Peter's first Epistle mention 
again is made of a person whose name was 
Mark : " The church that is at Babvlon, 
elected together with you, saluteth you : and so 
doth Marcus my son." It is generally, or even 
universally, allowed, that this Mark is the Evan- 
gelist : but it has been doubted by some writers, 
whether he be the same as John surnamed 
Mark, mentioned in the foregoing passages of 
the Acts and of St. Paul's Epistles. The 
grounds of this doubt are perhaps not very 
valid : so that we may reasonably and safely 
concur in Dr. Lightfoot's opinion, as cited with 
approbation by Dr. Lardner, when 3 "making ob- 
servations upon the first Epistle of St. Peter, 
Dr. Lightfoot remarks, £ff He sends this Epistle, 
says he, by Siivanus, Paul's old attendant, but 

now with Peter His naming of Mark with 

him cails our thoughts back to what has been 
mentioned of Mark heretofore : his being with 
Paul at Rome, and his coming from him into the 
east. To suppose two Marks, one with Peter, 
and another with Paul, is to breed confusion 
where there needeth not.... It is easily seen how 



232 



John ivhose surname ivas Mark* 



John Mark came into familiarity with Paul and 
Peter. And other Mark we can find none in 
the New Testament, unless of our own inven- 
tion . . . He it was that wrote the Gospel." In- 
deed " it is plain," as Mr. Jones on the Canon 
of the New Testament observes, " that Mark, 
mentioned in the Acts and in St. PauPs 
Epistles, was an assistant to the Apostles ; and 
the same is certain as to Mark the Evangelist, 
namely, that he was assistant, companion, or 
interpreter of Peter. Unless therefore we will 
suppose, that St. PanPs assistant and St. Peter's 
were both of the same name, we must conclude 
that the Mark, mentioned in the Acts and St. 
Paul's Epistles, was one and the same person, 
who at different times was with Paul and Peter 
engaged in the same work." We proceed then 
with our observations on the Evangelist, the 
Saint of this day : and shall make no scruple in 
adopting the decision of several learned writers, 
and understanding this same Mark to be in- 
tended, as often as we find his name in the 
Acts and the Epistles. It may be only requi- 
site further to premise, that the authority of this 
Gospel is not affected by the question concern- 
ing the identity of Mark the Evangelist, and 
Mark, also called John, the nephew of Bar- 
nabas ; since all agree that the writer of this 
Gospel was the familiar companion of St. 



John whose surname was Mark. 233 



Peter, and that he was qualified for the work 
which he undertook by having heard for many 
years the publick discourses and private conver- 
sation of that Apostle, as we shall hereafter 
have more particular occasion to remark. 

The father of Mark is not mentioned. His 
mother was Mary, a pious woman at Jerusalem, 
and an early believer, at whose house the dis- 
ciples used to assemble, in seasons of trouble 
and difficulty, as well as in those of serenity 
and safety to the Church. For at the time when 
James was killed by Herod with the sword, and 
Peter was imprisoned to gratify the malice of 
the Jews, upon the delivery of Peter out of 
prison, as already noticed, " he came to the 
house of Mary, the mother of John, whose sur- 
name was Mark, where many were gathered 
together praying." So that the very first men- 
tion of our Evangelist under this his double 
appellation exhibits his family in a situation of 
friendly intimacy with one of the Apostles, with 
whom we shall find him hereafter particularly 
associated. 

The mother of Mark was sister to Barnabas : 
and, Barnabas having been a Levite^, it has 
been inferred probably from that circumstance 
that his nephew likewise was a Levite and a 



§ Acts iv. 36. 



234 John whose surname ivas Mark. 

priest. That he was a Jew appears from St. 
Paul's Epistle to the Colossians, where he is 
mentioned as being "of the circumcision 11 ." 
His original name was John, the surname of 
Mark having probably been adopted by him 
when he left Judea to go into foreign countries : 
a practice not unusual among the Jews of that 
age, who frequently assumed a name more 
familiar to the nations which they visited, than 
that by which they had been distinguished in 
their own country \ Some ancient writers have 
represented him to have been one of Christ's 
seventy disciples : a representation, which can- 
not be either affirmed or denied with certainty ; 
nor can it be certainly affirmed, that he ever 
saw or heard the Lord Jesus k . But from what 
has been already mentioned of him it is clear, 
that he was an early believer in the Gospel, 
and an early associate of St. Peter. By some 
learned men indeed he has been supposed to 
have been converted by that Apostle, who 
speaks of him as " his son and who has been 
understood to denote by that appellation, that 
he had converted and baptized him. Yet per- 
haps it may denote no more than a high degree 
of affection and tenderness, and a respect for 
the faithful services, which Peter had ex peri- 



h Coi.iv, 11. 1 Dr. Cave. k Dr. Lardner. 



John ivhose surname was Mark. 



235 



enced from him, in like manner as St. Paul 
says of Timothy, that " as a son with the 
father, he had served with him in the Gospel 
more especially it may have been given him, as 
Origen asserts, because he wrote his Gospel at 
Peter's dictation l . Certain at all events it is, 
that he was an early friend and associate of 
Peter, as well as of Paul and Barnabas, as we 
have^now occasion to observe. 

For on the return of these two Apostles from 
Jerusalem, whither they had brought relief for 
the poor Christians of Judea,Mark accompanied 
them to Antioch in Syria : and when after a 
short period they went forth to other regions, he 
attended them as " their minister," that is, either 
to minister unto them, or to assist and labour 
with them in their ministry m ; passing through 
the island of Cyprus, to Salamis and Paphos, 
and thence sailing back to the continent, and 
landing at Perga in Pamphylia, where he de- 
parted from them and returned to Jerusalem. 
Thus it is plain that he did not accompany 
them in their further progress to Antioch in 
Pisidia, Iconium, and other places in Asia 
Minor, but went to Jerusalem 8 The cause of 
his quitting them is not mentioned : nor is it 

1 Dr. Lardner. m Acts xiii. 5. 



236 John whose surname was Mark. 

mentioned what further became of him at this 
time. It is to be supposed that he associated 
himself, on his return to Judea, with St. Peter 
and the other Apostles, who were remaining at 
Jerusalem, and was present with them at their 
discourses and their devotions. 

A considerable interval of time elapsed, be- 
fore any further mention is made of our Evan- 
gelist. But at length we find him again brought 
under our notice on occasion of another jour- 
ney meditated in conjunction by the two Apo- 
stles, whose minister and companion he had 
formerly been. 44 Some days after Paul said 
unto Barnabas, Let us go again, and visit our 
brethren in every city where we have preached 
the word of the Lord, and see how they do. 
And Barnabas determined to take with them 
John whose surname was Mark. But Paul 
thought not good to take him with them, who 
departed from them in Pamphylia, and went not 
with them to the work. And the contention 
was so sharp between them, that they departed 
asunder one from the other 11 ." Of the cause 
of Mark's having quitted them before, and of 
the merits of the dissention which prevailed 
between the two Apostles in consequence, we 
know nothing. It is only further recorded, that 



n Acts xv. 36. 



John whose surname was Mark, 237 

upon the separation which ensued between 
them, they followed their several courses, each 
accompanied by an attendant, when " Bar- 
nabas took Mark, and sailed to Cyprus." 

It is to be presumed that Paul had good 
reasons in his own mind for refusing to allow 
of the attendance of Mark on this occasion. 
On the supposition then that the latter had acted 
improperly in quitting them before, it should be 
observed that he appears to have been desirous 
of compensating his error by his willingness to 
attend them now. The natural relation be- 
tween Barnabas and himself may perhaps have 
paved the way for their readier reconciliation : 
but, although Paul would not now accept of 
his attendance, he was afterwards fully recon- 
ciled to him, as appears from several notices in 
his subsequent Epistles, written at Rome during 
his confinement there, previously to the date of 
which we again lose sight of Mark. That 
Mark was the assistant and companion of St. 
Paul during part of his confinement at Rome, 
is manifest from the Epistles to the Colossians 
and to Philemon. For in them among the 
salutations conveyed by the Apostle from the 
brethren at that time with him, express mention 
is made of Mark, (he is called Marcus in 
our translation;) recorded as one of the 
Apostle's " fellow-labourers 3 ^ in the Epistle to 



238 



John whose surname was Mark. 



Philemon ; and with the addition of a direction 
concerning him in the Epistle to the Colossians, 
indicative of St. Paul's kindliness of feeling to- 
wards him : " Aristarchus my fellow prisoner 
saluteth you, and Marcus, sister's son to Bar- 
nabas : touching whom ye received command- 
ments : if he come unto you receive him." 
And then, having mentioned a third person " of 
the circumcision," he adds, " These only are 
my fellow-workers unto the kingdom of God, 
which have been a comfort unto me." And in 
his second Epistle to Timothy, written probably 
after those just cited, and during the Apostle's 
second imprisonment at Rome, is a direction 
concerning Mark, accompanied by a testimony 
in his favour, which under the circumstances 
of the separation before recited ought not to 
escape our observation. " Take Mark, and 
bring him with thee, for he is profitable to me 
for the ministry." This desire of the Apostle 
to have the attendance of Mark, together with 
the profit which he promised himself from his 
attendance and co-operation in the service of 
the Gospel, shews his opinion of the excellence 
of Mark's character, of his intelligence and 
integrity, of his zeal and activity, whatever 
temporary cause may have formerly occasioned 
a coolness towards him. 

These particulars concerning St. Mark are 



John whose surname was Mark. 239 

derived from the sacred writings, which supply 
no further information. From ancient writers 
of the Church we learn, that in the latter part 
of his life he became the companion of St. 
Peter, with whom we have seen him to be ac- 
quainted in an early period of it: Irenseus 
speaks of him as f the disciple and interpreter 
of Peter," being probably employed to unfold 
and expound more particularly to the people, 
what the Apostle had preached in a more com- 
pendious form 0 . During a long course of at- 
tendance on that Apostle, he had continual 
opportunities of hearing and Saying up in his 
mind his relations of our Saviour's life ; which 
accordingly he is said by Clement of Alex- 
andria to have committed to writing at the re- 
quest of 44 Peter's hearers at Rome, who not 
content with a single hearing, nor with an un- 
written instruction in the divine doctrine, in- 
treated Mark, the follower of Peter, that he 
would leave with them in writing a memorial 
of the doctrine, which had been delivered to 
them by word of mouth : nor did they desist, 
until they had prevailed with him. Thus they 
were the means of writing the Gospel, which is 
called according to Mark. It is said, that, 
when the Apostle knew what had been done, 

0 Mr. Jones on the Canon of the New Testament. 



240 John whose surname was Mark. 



he was pleased with the zeal of the men, and 
authorized that Scripture to be read in the 
churches?." 

By different authors this event is described 
in different terms. Tertullian, about the year 
200, speaks of Mark as an apostolical man, or 
companion of Apostles ; and says, " that the 
Gospel, published by Mark, may be reckoned 
Peter's, whose interpreter he was." Origen, 
about 230, says, " The second Gospel is that 
according to Mark, who wrote it as Peter dic- 
tated it to him; who therefore calls him his son 
in his Catholick Epistle." Eusebius, about 
315, says, " Peter, out of abundance of mo- 
desty, thought not himself worthy to write a 
Gospel. But Mark, who was his friend and 
disciple, is said to have recorded Peter's rela- 
tions of the acts of Jesus." And, he adds, 
" Peter testifies these things of himself; for all 
things in Mark are said to be memoirs of Pe- 
ter's discourses." Thus much appears clear 
from the various testimonies upon the subject, 
that Mark was for a considerable portion of his 
life a companion and disciple of Peter: that he 
had continual opportunities of hearing Peter's 
narratives of our Lord's ministry : and that he 
profited by those opportunities to give a faith* 



11 Dr. Lardner. 



John whose surname ivas Mark. 241 



ful history of it in the Gospel, which having 
been composed by him is known by his name; 
but which, from the circumstances of its com- 
position, might be properly denominated, as in- 
deed there do not want instances of its having 
been denominated, the Gospel according to 
St. Peters 

The Gospel, thus written by St. Mark, was 
published by him at Rome or in Italy, probably 
about the year 64 or 65 of the Christian era r . 
By Eusebius and Jerome we are informed, that 
the Evangelist afterwards went into Egypt, and 
preached in that country the Gospel which he 
had written, and planted there many churches, 
especially one of great note at Alexandria, over 
which he exercised episcopal authority, and 
provided in it for a due succession of legitimate 
pastors 5 . He died in the reign of Nero, pro- 
bably towards the end of it ; or about the 68th 
year of the Christian era; and was buried at 
Alexandria: but whether he died by a natural 
or a violent death, is not certainly known. By 
some writers the latter has been asserted, to- 
gether with several particulars supposed to have 
attended his tragical end 1 . But the silence of 
Eusebius and other more ancient authors, as 

q Mr. Jones. r Dr. Cave, Mr. Jones, Dr. Lardner. 

s Dr, Cave, Dr. Lardner. * Mr, Nelson, 

R 



242 John whose surname was Mark. 

well as of Jerome, who probably would have 
recorded that he received the crown of mar- 
tyrdom, if such had been known to be the fact, 
has been judged an argument that he did not die 
a martyr, whilst the expressions of Jerome, in 
recording the death of St. Mark, seem to imply 
a natural death u . It has been a tradition in the 
Romish Church, that his body, at least the re- 
mains of it, were with great pomp removed from 
Alexandria to Venice, where they are reli- 
giously honoured : the account of this transla- 
tion is fabulous ; but it is true, that Si. Mark 
is esteemed the tutelar saint and patron of the 
Venetian state, and that a very rich and gor- 
geous church is erected in that city to his me- 
mory 3 '. 

REFLEXIONS. 

Upon the personal character of St. Mark the 
foregoing narrative, which contains all the in- 
formation we possess concerning him, will not 
supply us with many reflexions. Generally 
that narrative sets him before us in the character 
of an estimable and amiable man, zealous and 
active in the propagation of the Gospel, of 
which he was an early believer. His know- 
ledge of Christianity and his zeal in its behalf 



u Dr. Lardner. x Dr. Cave, Mr, Jones. 



John whose surname ivas Mark. 243 



were indeed so conspicuous, as to recommend 
him to Paul and Barnabas as a tit person to be 
taken with them for an assistant in the execu- 
tion of their ministry. And if he committed a 
fault in departing from Paul and Barnabas in 
Pamphylia, and proceeding not with them to 
the work, as the manner, in which Paul treated 
him in consequence may lead us to suppose was 
the case in his estimation, he shewed a dispo- 
sition to atone for and amend his fault by his 
readiness to accompany them afterwards in 
their journeys ; he accordingly proceeded on 
the work with Barnabas, who no doubt judged 
his assistance valuable and important, and held 
his character in esteem ; and in the sequel he 
became an earnest, active, and useful assistant 
of Paul. 

To these particulars in his character we have 
the testimony of St. Paul himself: and surely 
it is no slight praise to our Evangelist, to have 
been recorded by that great Apostle, as one 
who was " profitable unto him for the ministry;" 
as "his fellow-labourer and fellow-worker unto 
the kingdom of God f and as one who was " a 
comfort unto him" in his bonds and sufferings 
for the Gospel. With any particulars of his in- 
tercourse with St. Peter we have no definite ac- 
quaintance : but it cannot be reasonably doubted, 
that he displayed the same valuable qualities in 



244 John whose surname was Mark. 



his attendance upon that Apostle also : nor 
that, if St. Peter thought good to speak of Mark 
as 44 his son," Mark was justly intitled to the 
appellation by reason of his faithful and filial 
services, and his affectionate and devoted at- 
tachment to him as to a spiritual father. The 
very appellation bestowed upon him from such 
a quarter is in itself a title of honour; and 
reflects praise on the character of him, upon 
whom it is bestowed. Nor are we without a 
testimony to the great estimation, in which his 
character must have been held by the primitive 
Church, forasmuch as he was promoted to the 
highest rank of the pastoral office. 

Upon St. Mark, as an Evangelist, the fol- 
lowing reflexions may be made. Whether or 
not he had enjoyed opportunities of seeing and 
hearing the Lord Jesus, and accordingly whe- 
ther or not he could write an account of our 
Lord's life and ministry from his own per- 
sonal knowledge, is not certain, nor is it im- 
portant : but there is every reason for us to be 
assured, that, being himself an early believer 
of the Gospel, he was an early disciple and 
companion of the Apostles, and admitted to 
their intimate acquaintance and conversation; 
that he was particularly received into the fami- 
liarity, not only of Paul and Barnabas, but of 
Peter likewise ; and that by having been con- 



John iv hose surname was Mark. 



245 



tinually present at the preaching of Peter, 
when he delivered by word of mouth his rela- 
tions of the acts of Jesus, our Evangelist was 
well qualified to report the events and dis- 
courses, which he has recorded in his Gospel y . 

Thus the Gospel of St. Mark is intitled to be 
considered, not merely as his Gospel, the re- 
sult of the diligence of an ordinary inquirer, 
but as the Gospel of St. Peter also, containing, 
as it does, a faithful exhibition of what St. 
Peter taught. " The Gospel, published by 
Mark," saith Tertullian, " may be accounted 
the Gospel of Peter, whose interpreter he was." 
It may be so accounted, forasmuch as it is a tran- 
script of Peter's teaching, delivered in writing 
by a person, whose opportunities of knowing it 
accurately are indisputable; and whose fidelity 
has never been questioned, but rather has been 
constantly acknowledged from the earliest 
times, even when the writing was first delivered 
to those, who had heard from Peter himself the 
narratives which our Evangelist recorded. 

But the claim of St. Mark's Gospel to this dis- 
tinction may be placed upon still higher ground. 
Probably it was written by the direction of St. 
Peter : probably under his dictation : or it may 
be that he went no further, than to approve of ii 5 



y Dr, Townson on the Gospels. 



246 John whose surname was Mark. 

and authorize it to be publiekly read, when it 
was written. Upon either of these views it may 
be regarded, not only as a faithful transcript of 
St. Peter's teaching, but as the accredited Gos- 
pel of St. Peter ; and it is thus intitled to our 
implicit confidence as stamped by the war- 
ranty and sanction of an inspired Apostle. 

Agreeably to this fact, of the Gospel of St. 
Mark being the record of St. Peter's teaching, 
it has been observed, that the Gospel itself 
affords evidences of its having been written, ac- 
cording to that Apostle's discourses, or accord- 
ing to informations and directions given by him 
to the Evangelist l . 

St. Chrysostom, no incompetent judge of the 
language of the Apostles, discovers in this Gos- 
pel the concise style of St.Peter, as in St. Luke's 
the more diffuse diction of St. Paul. And cer- 
tainly there are passages in it, where St. Peter 
appears to have directed, not only the matter 
and circumstances, but the very words of the 
narration. 

" The pillow in the hinder part of the ship on 
which Jesus was asleep;" the 66 green grass, on 
which the multitude sat down" to be miracu- 
lously fed ; " the rising of blind Bartimeus, and 
the casting away of his garment," when our 



z Dr. Townson, 



John whose surname was Mark. 247 

Lord called him ; " the colt tied by the door 
without, in a place where two ways met :" these 
and many other minute matters indicate, that 
the historian had been a spectator; who de- 
scribed them because they were imprinted on 
his mind in seeing the action which he relates. 
And the distinct and particular manner in 
which the principal facts are generally told is a 
further evidence of this point. 

Then, as to the matter of the narrative, with 
regard to Christ, scarce any action that was 
done, or word that was spoken by him, is men- 
tioned, at which St. Peter was not present : so 
that the Gospel appears to have been both dic- 
tated by this Apostle, and to have been limited 
with scrupulous exactness to those occurrences 
in the life of Christ, which he could attest as 
seen or heard by himself \ 

And with regard to Peter himself, though this 
Gospel was composed by his son in Christ, 
it consults his credit and reputation less in 
every view, than any one of the others. 

Several things, very honourable to St. Peter, 
are related in the other Gospels, which are not 
noticed in this of St. Mark : because, saith 
Eusebius, " as is probable, Peter did not relate 
them in his sermons : for he did not think fit to 



a Dr. Townson. 



248 John whose surname was Mark. 



bear testimony to hinself by relating what Jesus 
said to him or of him : therefore Mark has 
omitted them." And it was the observation of 
Chrysostom, occasioned by Mark's omission 
of an occurrence honourable to St. Peter, 
" that perhaps his Master forbade him to insert 
such things as tended to aggrandize him b ." 
Several incidents, illustrative of the good qua- 
lities of Peter, of his remarkable humility, of his 
faith, and his ardent zeal for Christ, and of 
Christ's love and favour towards him, are thus 
omitted by his disciple and companion : omis- 
sions, which cannot be so well ascribed to any 
other cause, as to the modesty and reservedness 
of Peter, who, as he would decline from men- 
tioning such things in his preaching, would 
discourage their being put down in writing 0 . 

On the contrary, St. Mark relates the history 
of St. Peter's denial of Christ, with the same 
enumeration of circumstances, and aggravations 
of the fault, that are recorded by St. Matthew : 
indeed it is very remarkable, and the remark is 
made by Chrysostom, that this fall of Peter 
is related by Mark with more particularity than 
by the other two Evangelists. And yet, when 
he proceeds to mention the Apostle's repent- 
ance and the tears consequent upon it, he 



b Mr, Jones, Dr, Townson. c Dr. Lardner. 



John whose surname ivas Mark. 249 

dwells upon it less, and speaks of it with more 
coldness, than the others. But with respect to 
St. Peter's infirmities, one general reflexion may 
suffice ; that whatever appears of that kind in 
the other Gospels, is faithfully recorded in St. 
Mark's d . 

St. Mark's Gospel is the shortest and most 
compendious of the four. Nevertheless it con- 
tains many things peculiar to himself and not 
noticed by any other Evangelist e . Of these 
the most important probably are the narratives 
of hearing and speech being bestowed by our 
Lord upon a deaf and dumb man in the seventh 
chapter, and of his giving sight to a blind man 
at Bethsaida in the eighth chapter. At the 
same time in a great variety of cases, in which 
his general description corresponds with those 
of the other Evangelists, he has inserted circum- 
stances peculiar to himself, and intimating a 
familiar and minute acquaintance with the sub- 
ject of his narratives. With respect to St. 
Matthew in particular, it has been observed, 
that there is scarce any one story related by 
both these Evangelists, in which St. Mark does 
not add some considerable circumstances which 
St. Matthew has not mentioned. Mr. Jones, 
who has collected several instances in exem- 



d Dr. Townson. 



e Dr. Lardner. 



250 John whose surname ivas Mark. 

plification of this assertion, satisfactorily shews 
the absurdity of supposing that St. Mark's Gospel 
is an epitome or abridgment of St. Matthew's. 
And Dr. Lardner, having cited a large number 
of circumstantial additions, not only such as 
are omitted by St. Matthew, but such as 
are contained in no one of the Evangelists but 
St. Mark; and having still forborne to specify 
many things, which are in this Gospel and in no 
other; concludes with this observation : "The 
particulars, that have been alleged, are sufficient 
to assure us, that St. Mark was not an epi- 
tomiser of another author; and that he was 
well acquainted with the things, of which he 
undertook to write a history. He writes as an 
eye-witness, or as one who had full and au- 
thentick information at the first hand. In a 
word, St. Mark's Gospel, though short, is a very 
valuable and masterly performance." 

As the Church commemorates this Saint in 
his character of an Evangelist, so by the Collect 
of the dav she directs us to the benefit to be 
derived from him in that character, teaching us 
to pray that Almighty God, who hath "in- 
structed his holy Church with the heavenly 
doctrine of his Evangelist St. Mark," will V give 
us grace that being not like children, carried 
away with every blast of vain doctrine, we may 
be established in the truth of his holy Gospel, 



John whose surname was Mark. 251 

through Jesus Christ our Lord." The fore- 
going reflexions may lead us to see the fitness 
of this language in ascribing the doctrine of 
St. Mark to the " instruction of Almighty God," 
and in denominating it " the heavenly doc- 
trine." For we thence see, that his Gospel is 
not to be regarded in the light of a merely 
human composition, or as deriving its value, as 
an historical record, from the care and dili- 
gence of the author, however in those respects 
qualified for the performance ; but as virtually 
the production of an inspired Apostle of Christ. 
Although actually written by St. Mark, and 
commonly known and cited as his Gospel, it 
really transmits to us, as we have seen, the 
teaching of St. Peter; and is on that account 
most entitled to our deference as a " heavenly 
doctrine," conveying to us " instruction from 
Almighty God." It has been well and perti- 
nently observed, that " St. Mark is not received 
as canonical, only because he was a compa- 
nion of the Apostles ; but because he wrote 
under the direction of an inspired Apostle, St. 
Peter ; and who, as Eusebius saith, approved 
the book by the revelation of the Holy Ghost f ." 

The use to which his writing is to be put, is 
that which the Church further points out to our 



f Mr. Jones. 



252 John whose surname was Mark. 



notice ; namely, that " being not like children 
carried away with every blast of vain doctrine, 
we may be established in the truth of God^s 
holy Gospel." The Gospel of God is the good 
tidings of salvation procured for us by our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Of this Gospel, 
of these "good tidings," (such is the meaning 
of the word,) we have several different records 
in the writings of the four Evangelists, called 
Gospels, as conveying the history of the good 
tidings of salvation, in the history of the birth, 
life, actions, precepts, promises, death, resur- 
rection, and ascension of Christ g . And it is 
much to be observed, how accurately these 
several records agree together in all things ma- 
terial, however they may be distinguished by 
their own respective peculiarities ; so that a 
study of the several Gospels is not calculated 
to lead to any diversity of belief, but they all 
contribute to establish us in the truth of that 
one harmonious revelation of God's will, that 
one holy Gospel, which he has caused to be 
made known to the world in his only-begotten 
Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Of these records one has been communicated 
to us by the Saint of this day. Hence, whilst 
we may perceive the propriety of gratefully 



? Mr. Nelson 



John whose surname was Mark. 253 



commemorating a person, who has been the 
instrument of conveying to us so valuable a 
document, we are admonished of the proper 
manner of commemorating him and testifying 
our gratitude for the benefit, as in the case 
likewise of the other Evangelists, namely, by 
studying the Gospels thus bestowed upon us, 
and applying them to the confirmation of our 
Christian faith. For, whatever gifts were given 
by our Lord, when having ascended up to 
heaven he tc gave gifts unto men" by that Holy 
Spirit whom he sent to supply his place with 
his followers, they were given " for the perfect- 
ing of the saints, for the work of the ministry, 
for the edifying of the body of Christ." Of 
these gifts there are none more important to us, 
than such as were employed in committing to 
writing, for the use of all future generations, 
the narratives of our Lord^s life and ministry. 
And most surely does it behove us to study 
these narratives with all the powers of our un- 
derstanding, and the full devotion of our 
hearts : till, as we read in the Epistle of the 
day, whence the sentiment in the Collect is 
taken, " we all come in the unity of the faith 
and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto 
a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature 
of the fulness of Christ ; that we be no more 
children tossed to and fro, and carried about 



254 John whose surname was Mark. 



with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of 
men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie 
in wait to deceive ; but speaking the truth in 
love, may grow up into him in all things, which 
is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole 
body fitly joined together and compacted by 
that which every joint supplieth according to 
the effectual working in the measure of every 
part, maketh increase of the body unto the 
edifying of itself in loveV 

Collects. 

" O Almighty God, who hast intructed thy 
holy Church with the heavenly doctrine of thy 
Evangelist Saint Mark ; Give us grace, that, 
being not like children carried away with every 
blast of vain doctrine, we may be established 
in the truth of thy holy Gospel; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen 1 ." 

" Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy 
Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant 
that we may in such wise hear them, read, 
mark, learn, and inwardly digest them ; that 
by patience, and comfort of thy holy word, we 
may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed 
hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given 
us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amenk" 

h Eph. iv. J 3, &c. 5 For the day. k For the 

second Sunday in Advent. 



John whose surname was Mark. 255 



" Almighty and everlasting God, heaveniy 
Father, we give thee humble thanks that thou 
hast vouchsafed to call us to the knowledge 
of thy grace and faith in thee; increase this 
knowledge, and confirm this faith in us ever- 
more. Give thy holy Spirit to us thy servants, 
that being in baptism born again, and being 
made heirs of everlasting salvation through our 
Lord Jesus Christ, we may continue thy ser- 
vants, and attain thy promises; through the 
same our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son, who liveth 
and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, 
now and for ever. Amen } ." 

'Ministration of Baptism. 



If praise be theirs, who living told 
The Saviour's life in days of old, 
'Tis theirs, who, though themselves be dead, 
Still wide the saving knowledge spread. 
Mark, in thy faithful page we read 
Each holy word, each wondrous deed ; 
Distinct our Saviour's form we see, 
And this the debt we owe to thee. 

Had no recording pen defin'd, 
And clear before his followers' mind 
The Saviour's life and doctrine brought, 
Told what he did and what he taught : 



256 



John whose surname was Mark. 



What spots might mar the Christian's Creed, 
What devious tracks his steps mislead, 
With grief of heart and burning brow- 
Let Home, deluded Rome, avow. 

Then praise, Historians blest, to you, 
Harmonious, simple, clear, and true : 
But more than praise to Him be paid, 
Whose Spirit taught what you conveyed ! 
May He illume our darkling sight, 
To read, with single heart, aright 
The treasures in his volume stor'd, 
And find Him in his written word ! 



ST. PHILIP AND ST. JAMES. 



Philip and James the son of Alphceus. 

Mark iii. 18. 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ST. PHILIP. 

THE Church on this day commemorates two 
of the Apostles, St. Philip, and St. James the 
son of Alphseus : probably because it is sup- 
posed to be the anniversary of the martyrdom 
or death of each. We will consider them one 
after the other, in the order wherein they are 
mentioned, being that in which they stand in 
the catalogue of the Apostles, as reported by 
the three first Evangelists : by whom however 
they are not associated together, Philip having 
Bartholomew for his companion, and James 
being followed by Thaddaeus in the two first 
Gospels, and by Simon Zelotes in that of St. 
Luke. 

Philip was a native of Bethsaida, on the sea 
of Galilee, which has been already noticed as 
" the city of Andrew and Peter. " Of his 

s 



258 



Philip and James 



parentage and early life the sacred history gives 
no information : but the situation and customary 
occupation of the place make it probable that, 
like Andrew and Peter, he was a fisherman. 
He had the honour of being the first called 
among our Lord's followers, as we read in the 
first chapter of St. John's Gospel : for though 
Andrew, and another of John the Baptist's dis- 
ciples, and after them Peter, had previously 
sought and conversed with Christ, they can 
hardly be regarded as having had on that oc- 
casion a distinct call to " follow him," as is ex- 
pressly said with respect to Philip, who there- 
upon appears to have attached himself to our 
Lord. 

Philip, being assured of the identity of Jesus 
of Nazareth with him who had been foretold 
in the law and the prophets, imparted the intel- 
ligence to Nathanael, and conducted him to 
the expected Saviour. And there is every 
probability, that he was one of the disciples, 
who soon after attended at the marriage feast 
in Cana of Galilee, when Jesus performed his 
first miracle, " and manifested forth his glory," 
to the establishment of the faith of his dis- 
ciples. 

It was about a year after his call to be a fol- 
lower of Jesus, that Philip was constituted one 
of his Apostles ; unless we understand the 



the son of Alplueus. 



259 



former call to have been to the Apostleship, 
which is hardly consistent with the narratives 
of the choosing and ordaining of the twelve. In 
the enumeration of these he is subsequently 
mentioned ; but without any special note be- 
yond his mere name ? to distinguish him from 
the rest of his brethren. 

After his call to the Apostleship, but little is 
recorded of him in holy writ. It was to him 
however that our Saviour proposed the question, 
whence they should buy bread, that the five 
thousand might eat in the wilderness ; and re- 
ceived from him the answer, that " two hundred 
pennyworth of bread was not sufficient for them, 
that every one of them might take a iittle a ." It 
was to him, that the Greeks or Gentile prose- 
lytes, who '• came up to Jerusalem to worship 
at the feast," addressed themselves for the pur- 
pose of being admitted to a sight of the Saviour; 
which by means of Philip and Andrew they 
obtained b . And it was with him that our 
blessed Lord had that memorable discourse 
concerning himself, a little before the last pas- 
chal supper, as related in the Gospel for this 
festival : when Philip, having besought our 
Lord to " shew them the Father/' received 
from him in return a gentle reproof for his igno- 



a John vi. 5, &c. 



b John xii. 20 



260 



Philip .....and James 



ranee, accompanied by a most remarkable and 
important declaration concerning his own na- 
ture. " Have I been so long time with you, 
and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he 
that hath seen me, hath seen the Father; and 
how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 
Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and 
the Father in me? the words, that I speak unto 
you, I speak not of myself : but the Father, 
that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Be- 
lieve me that I am in the Father, and the Father 
in me : or else believe me for the very works 7 
sake c ." 

These are the only occasions, on which St. 
Philip is mentioned by the sacred history ; 
except that in the Acts his name occurs to- 
gether with those of the other Apostles in the 
narrative of events after our Lord's ascension d . 
On the separation of the Apostles into the dif- 
ferent regions of the world, he is said by some 
writers to have had the upper Asia for his pro- 
vince ; and by others to have preached and 
planted Christianity in Scythia 6 . There appears 
good evidence in Eusebius, the ecclesiastical 
historian, that he resided for some time and 
died at Hierapolis, a city of Phrygia, mentioned 
by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Colossians f ; 

c John xiv. 8—11. d Acts i. 13. e Dr. Cave. f Col.iv. 13. 



the son of Alphceus. 



261 



now called by the Turks Pambuck, meaning 
in our language, Cotton, from the white cliff' 
on the side of a hill, where it is situated g . It 
is supposed by some authors to have derived 
its name of Hierapolis, or the holy city, from 
the multitude of temples and fanes with which 
it abounded : and a modern traveller, who 
visited it, has remarked, that " the ruins of vast 
fabricks are so numerous, that we may well be- 
lieve that the false gods had once there a great 
possession and share of worship V* Such a 
city appears to have been well adapted for an 
apostolical residence : and it may be reckoned 
very probable, that St. Philip was for a while 
very useful in preaching the Gospel in those 
parts, and that he wrought many miracles 
among the people 1 . 

The manner of his death is uncertain. By 
later writers he is said to have undergone mar- 
tyrdom ; and the cross, the same kind of in- 
strument on which Peter suffered, has been 
specified as the instrument of the death of Philip, 
which has been recited with many particulars. 
But this event appears to have been unknown to 
earlier writers, such as Eusebius and Jerome : 
and Clement of x41exandria, at as early a period 

g Dr. Wells on the Geography of the New Testament, 
h Sir P. Rycaut, quoted by Dr. Wells. 1 Dr. Lardner. 



262 



Philip .... .and James 



as the second century, speaks of him by name 
as one of the Apostles, who did not die by 
martyrdom k . 

The same Clement reckons him as one of 
the married Apostles, which indeed is generally 
affirmed by the ancients : and Eusebius cites 
Fapias, a very early writer, as saying that 
Philip had daughters, two of whom were un- 
married, and lived with their father at Hiera- 
polis ; and that he had been informed by the 
daughters of Philip, that a dead man had been 
restored to life in the time of this Apostle 1 . 
He left no writings behind him ; though the 
Gnosticks are said to have alleged some such 
in defence of their heresy. 

REFLEXIONS. 

The ingenuous readiness of Philip in com- 
plying with the invitation of Jesus, when called 
on to follow him, may serve for a lesson that 
we be not backward in complying with the like 
invitation, which by his word and ministers he 
is continually addressing to us. The reasons 
which satisfied Philip of the claims of Jesus to 
his obedience are not distinctly stated. It can 
hardly be doubted however, that he was well 
versed in the writings of Moses and the Pro- 



Dr. Lardner. 1 Calmet, Dr. Lardner. 



the son of Alphceus. 



263 



phets, by whom the Messiah had been foretold ; 
and was actuated by the general expectations, 
at that time prevalent amongst the Jews, con- 
cerning the approaching appearance of the 
Messiah: and it is reasonable to suppose, that 
Jesus gave him some intimation, as he after- 
wards did to Nathanael, which the brevity of 
the history has not specified, to convince him 
that he was that person, " of whom Moses in 
the law and the prophets did write." At the 
same time the divine grace, in all probability, 
more immediately accompanied the command 
of our Saviour, inclining those, whom he called, 
to obey the command. But whatever reasons 
operated with Philip to believe and obey, it is 
evident that we have reasons enough for our 
belief and obedience; and we ought accordingly 
to exercise them after the example of this Apo- 
stle, and under the influence of divine grace, 
which will never be wanting to us in the ordi- 
nary dispensations of God's providence. And, 
as he soon after received a plain attestation to 
the character of his Lord in the glory, which 
he manifested forth by his miraculous power at 
the marriage in Cana, so we may be assured, 
that every step we take in the practice of re- 
ligion will be our introduction to higher mea- 
sures of grace ; and will lead us more and more 
to a persuasion of the divine character of him 



264 



Philip and James 



in whom we have believed, and to a corre- 
sponding uprightness of conduct. 

Again, the friendly zeal of Philip in im- 
parting to Nathanael the knowledge, which he 
had received of the Messiah, may prompt us to 
communicate to others the religious knowledge 
which we have the happiness to possess. Like the 
other blessings, which a bountiful Providence is 
pleased to bestow upon us, religious knowledge 
is given for the edification and benefit of others 
as well as for our own. If others through our 
means are desirous of becoming acquainted with 
the Saviour, as the Greeks who sought Philip's 
aid that they might be brought to the sight of 
Jesus, we should forward their good desires: or, 
if they signify not their desire, still we should 
on all fit occasions bring them to the knowledge 
of him, as Philip, the first-called disciple, 
brought Nathanael. Prejudices will frequently 
occupy the minds of those, to whom we may 
have occasion to address ourselves ; as in the 
case of Nathanael ; who, though evidently a 
pious and well-disposed man, and one of those 
who " looked for redemption in Israel," and, as 
our blessed Lord bore honourable testimony to 
his character, " an Israelite indeed, in whom 
was no guile ;" yet received Philip's decla- 
ration concerning Jesus with a question sug- 
gested by his prepossessions, " Can any good 



the son of Alphceus. 



265 



thing come out of Nazareth?" It will be our 
business to meet such objections in the spirit of 
meekness, and with appeals to the good sense 
and candour of those who make them. And in 
many cases doubtless we may have good con- 
fidence, that the like beneficial effects will 
ensue, as in the case of Nathanael, who, having 
complied with Philip's invitation to " come and 
see," was soon induced to adopt his belief, and 
to exclaim to Jesus in the language of devout 
admiration, " Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, 
thou art the King of Israel." 

Whilst we commend these particulars in St. 
Philip's conduct as worthy of our imitation, 
there are one or two points of a more question- 
able nature, which may be made the occasion 
of cautionary reflexion. When, for instance, 
oar blessed Lord in the wilderness inquired 
of him "to prove him," " whence shall we buy 
bread that these may eat/' a different answer 
might reasonably have been expected from 
that which the Apostle gave, " two hundred 
pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, 
that every one of them may take a little." He who 
had witnessed how Jesus " manifested forth his 
glory" by turning the water into wine at Cana, 
and who had doubtless heard of the further 
foundation which he had laid for his disciples' 
faith in the miraculous draught of fishes, might 



266 



and James 



have well supposed that his Lord was capable 
of supplying the wants of the fainting multitude 
by his own inherent power. The answer of the 
disciple, by referring to merely human means of 
supply, should seem to betray a deficiency of 
faith in that power. Let it convey to us a lesson, 
that we be not guilty of the like distrust : but 
when it pleases God " to prove" us, by pro- 
posing to us, as it were, questions concerning 
the mode of relief in cases of difficulty and 
distress, let it teach us to place our reliance on 
that power and goodness and superabundant 
bounty which we have heretofore experienced, 
for the removal of our present indigence, and 
the supply of the sustenance and comfort of 
which we stand in need. 

Lastly, the request of Philip to our Saviour, 
" Shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us," in 
answer to our Lord's declaration, " If ye had 
known me, ye should have known my Father 
also ; and from henceforth ye know him, and 
have seen him;" appears to betray, if not a 
grossness in the Apostle's conception con- 
cerning the divine nature, at least an igno- 
rance, or a deficiency in proper understanding, 
concerning the character and nature of the Son 
of God and his intimate union with the Father. 
Such appears to be the purport of our blessed 
Lord's reproof. " Jesus saith unto him, Have 



the son of Alphceus. 



267 



I been so long time with you, and yet hast 
thou not known me, Philip? he that hath 
seen me hath seen the Father ; and how sayest 
thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou 
not that I am in the Father, and the Father in 
me? the words that I speak unto you I speak 
not of myself : but the Father that dwelleth in 
me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I 
am in the Father, and the Father in me : or 
else believe me for the very works' sake." 
Language can hardly express with greater per- 
spicuity, as on the one hand the invisible 
nature of the Almighty Father, so on the other 
hand his essential and inseparable union with 
his well-beloved Son, attested by the works 
which that Son performed on earth. Yet it is 
of that Son, that we are sometimes called 
upon to believe, that he is a mere prophet, 
a mere man ! He, who is " the image of 
the invisible God 44 the brightness of his 
glory, and the express image of his person ;" 
44 in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the God- 
head bodily:" He, who 44 was in the begin- 
ning, who was with God, and who was God 
and 44 was made flesh, and dwelt among us, 
and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the 
only- begotten of the Father :" and who in that 
his incarnate state could nevertheless affirm of 
himself, " He that hath seen me hath seen the 



268 Philip and James 

Father; the Father dwelleth in me: I am in 
the Father and the Father in me ; I and the 
Father are one r V 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ST. 
JAMES THE LESS. 

We pass on to the history of the other Saint 
of this day, " James the son of Alphaeus," as 
he is called by the Evangelists in the enume- 
ration of the Apostles 11 ; called also James 
the Less 0 ," and " the Lord's brother?," in 
other passages of Scripture ; and by ecclesias- 
tical writers "James the Just**:" for from the 
best evidence of antiquity there is sufficient 
reason to be satisfied of the identity of the 
person described under these several appella- 
tions. 

St. James was " the son of Alphas us" or 
Cleophas, which seem to be the same name 
differently written, or different names for the 
same person : and he is thus described in the 

m Col. i. 15. Heb. i. 3. Col. ii. 9. John i. 1, 14. xiv. 9, 
10, 11. x. 10. n Matt. x. 3. Mark iii. 18. Luke vi. 

15. Acts i. 13. 0 Mark xv. 40. p Gal. i. 19. 

q Dr. Cave, Dr. Lardner. 



the son of Alphanis. 



269 



Gospels and the Acts, to distinguish him from 
the other Apostle James, the son of Zebedee. 

The cause of his being called "the Lord's 
brother" is not ascertained. By some it has 
been supposed, that Joseph and Alpbaeus were 
the same person ; that our Apostle was the son 
of Joseph, afterwards espoused to the blessed 
Virgin, by a former wife; and was thus reputed 
our Lord's brother in the same sense in which 
our Lord was reputed Joseph's son r . By 
others it has been supposed that Cleophas 
and Joseph were brothers ; that the former 
died without issue and that Joseph raised up 
seed unto his brother ; that accordingly James, 
being the first-born of Joseph, was called the son 
of Cleophas; and was also called "the Lord's 
brother/' because the Lord also was called 
the son of Joseph 8 . This appears to have been 
the most ancient opinion. But the opinion 
most prevalent among later writers is that of 
Jerome, that St. James is called " the Lord's 
brother" in that extended sense, usual with the 
Hebrews and not unknown to the Greeks and 
Romans, in which the term was applied to 
cousins and near kinsmen, as in the cases of 
Abraham and Lot, of Laban and Jacob ; that, 



r Dr. Cave. 



s Dr. Lardner. 



270 



Philip and James 



as St. Mark informs us, the name of the mother 
of James the Less was Mary ; that, as St. 
John says, u Mary, the wife of Cleophas," and 
of coarse the mother of James, was sister to 
" Mary the mother of Jesus ; ,? and that in con- 
sequence James, who is called the brother, was 
in fact cousin-german to our Lord*. 

He is called " James the Less," with refer- 
ence, as hath been supposed, to the other James 
the son of Zebedee ; as being perhaps younger 
in age than he, or later called to the apostle- 
ship, or less familiarly admitted to our Lord's 
privacy and confidence, or of less consideration 
and eminence in the evangelical history : or 
probably he was so called on account of his 
stature ; a conjecture, which is favoured by the 
literal sense of the original word in the positive 
degree, " James the little ;"" after the manner of 
the Romans, as well as of our own and other 
modern nations of Europe, with whom it has 
been customary to give names corresponding 
with particular accidents of the body u . 

The appellation of" the J ust," which is never 
coupled with his name in the New Testament, 
but by which he seems to have been often 
called even in his lifetime, as well as afterwards, 



1 Dr. Lardner, Bp. Tomline. 



u Ibid. 



the son of Alphmis. 



271 



speaks for itself. It was evidently a title of 
honour, indicative of the eminent holiness and 
integrity of his life x . 

Of the place of his birth, or of his way of 
living- before his call to be a disciple and 
apostle of Christ, or of any particulars in his 
conduct afterwards during our Lord's con- 
tinuance upon earth, the sacred history gives us 
no intimation. After the resurrection he was 
honoured by a special appearance of our Lord, 
which, although not noticed by the Evangelists, 
is recorded by St. Paul to the Corinthians, 
without however mentioning any particulars 
concerning it y . It took place, as we may judge 
from St. Paul's allusion, between that to the 
five hundred brethren on the mountain of Ga- 
lilee, and that to all the Apostles, after their 
return to Jerusalem. That James the Less was 
the person, to whom this appearance was 
vouchsafed, though not stated by St. Paul, has 
been the common opinion and tradition of the 
Church. The cause and some circumstances 
of the appearance are cited by Jerome from an 
apocryphal work, intitled " the Gospel accord- 
ing to the Hebrews ;" but the cause assigned is 
improbable, and the circumstances appear to 
be fabulous ; so that the simple fact may be 



* Dr. Cave. 



y 1 Cor. xv. 8. 



272 



Philip and James 



considered as standing where the Scripture 
leaves it. 

St. James, together with the rest of the 
eleven, was a witness of our Lord's ascension, 
and a partaker in the promised effusion of the 
Holy Ghost. After which events, but at what 
distance of time is uncertain, he was chosen 
Bishop of the Church in Jerusalem : a station 
of eminence, to which he was elevated in pre- 
ference even to Peter and the two sons of Ze- 
bedee, who had been peculiarly honoured by 
our Lord on earth. The cause of his elevation 
has been supposed to be his relationship to our 
blessed Lord z , probably not without regard to 
the excellent qualities which distinguished his 
character and conduct. By some of the an- 
cients it has been said, that the dignity was 
conferred upon him by Christ himself, who 
constituted him Bishop, on appearing to him 
after his resurrection. By others, as particu- 
larly by Clement of Alexandria, it has been 
said with more probability, that he was ap- 
pointed by the Apostles, especially by the three 
great Apostles, Peter and the two sons of Ze- 
bedee, with the consent, as it should seem, and 
the approbation of all ; and acting under the 
influence of divine inspiration, or possibly by 

z Dr. Cave. 



the son of Alphceus. 



273 



some particular intimation concerning it which 
our Lord may have left behind him z . But by 
whatever mode appointed, the fact is clear that 
he was Bishop of Jerusalem: and Eusebius and 
Epiphanius mention, that he wore a plate of 
gold upon his forehead, as a mark of his epis- 
copacy, with the name of God in all probability 
inscribed upon it, in imitation of the Jewish 
high priests a . 

The sacred volume, though it does not relate 
his elevation, specifies several indications of 
his episcopal or superintending character. 
When St. Paul visited Jerusalem the first time 
after his conversion, "Barnabas took him and 
brought him to the Apostles," namely, as St, 
Paul himself informs us, " Peter and James 
the Lord^s brother," who appears to have been 
at that time residing there, and acting as pre- 
sident of the Church b . When Peter was de- 
livered out of prison, where he had been con- 
fined by Herod Agrippa, " he came to the 
house of Mary, ... where many were gathered 
together praying." And when he had' 'de- 
clared unto them how the Lord had brought 
him out of the prison, he said, Go, shew these 
things unto James, and to the brethren :" that 



z Dr. Lardner, Dr. Cave. a Calmet. b Acts 

ix. 27. Gal. i.18, 19, 



274 



Philip and James 



is, to the Church generally, and particularly to 
James, who presided over it as its Bishop and 
pastor 0 . When the council of 44 the Apostles 
and elders" was held at Jerusalem, for the 
purpose of settling the great controversy con- 
cerning the obligation of the Jewish rites and 
ceremonies upon the Gentile converts, " after 
there had been much disputing," Peter de- 
livered his sentiments at length, and was fol- 
lowed by Barnabas and Paul ; whereupon 
James proposed the final decretory sentence, 
defining the terms on which the Gentiles should 
be received, and introducing them with the ex- 
pression, " Wherefore my sentence is," accord- 
ing to our translation ; or, according to the 
literal purport of the original, 44 Wherefore I 
judge 1 ' or 44 decreed" Chrysostom, who justly 
applauds the propriety of James's discourse in 
the council, observes that 44 James was Bishop 
of Jerusalem, and therefore spoke last 6 :" and 
in conformity with his sentence the council 
concluded ; and sent letters accordingly to the 
several Gentile churches. 

It is upon this occasion that St. Paul speaks 
of 44 James, Cephas, and John," (assigning to 
James the precedence,) as 44 pillars," 44 who gave 
to him and Barnabas the right hand of fellow- 



55 Acts xii. 12 — 17. (I Acts xv. 1 — 29. « Dr. Lardner. 



the son of Alphceus. 



275 



ship 1 ." Afterwards in the same chapter, record- 
ing an account of the transactions at Antioch, 
he says, " that when Peter was come thither, he 
did eat with the Gentiles, before that certain 
came from James ; but when they were come, he 
withdrew and separated himself, fearing them 
of the circumcision^." Once more : when Paul 
w r ent up afterwards to Jerusalem, the day after 
our arrival, says St. Luke, " Paul went in with 
us unto James, and all the elders were pre- 
sent h ." From all which passages it appears, 
that our Apostle was regularly resident at 
Jerusalem ; that he united the character of the 
Bishop to that of the Apostle ; and superin- 
tended with episcopal vigilance the affairs of 
the Church \ 

From the same passages it appears, that he 
was regarded with high respect by the Jewish 
believers. His conduct indeed gives evidence 
of an excellent character, and of an admirable 
combination of zeal and discretion, of a love 
of truth and condescension to weak brethren. 
His Epistle confirms that character. And its 
excellence is further attested by several eccle- 
siastical writers, who specify various particulars 
to his honour ; especially that his eminent 



f Gal. ii. 9. § Ver. 12. h Acts xxi. 17, 18. 

1 Dr. Lardner. 



276 Philip and James 



virtue had acquired for him the appellations, 
not only of " the Just," but of " the defence of 
the people ;" and that he was in such esteem for 
his sanctity, that it was no uncommon thing for 
the people to crowd about him, and strive to 
touch the hem of his garment. 

His virtue however, and the respect in which 
he was held, could not eventually preserve him 
from a violent death. This, as well as his charac- 
ter, is set forth with much circumstantial detail 
in a passage quoted at length by Dr. Lardner 
from Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History, con- 
taining some particulars which throw an air of 
improbability over certain portions of the narra- 
tive, but not so as to impeach its general truth. 
The fact in brief appears to be, as was the com- 
mon persuasion of Christians, both before and 
in the time of Eusebius, that James suffered 
martyrdom at Jerusalem. Two ancient Chris- 
tian writers of the second century, Hegesippus 
and Clement of Alexandria, assure us, that his 
death was completed by the blow of a fuller's 
pole, with which they are wont to beat wet 
clothes. And Hegesippus, in particular and at 
large, relates that his death was effected in a 
tumultuous manner. The tumult began at the 
temple, where the scribes and pharisees and 
other Jews entered into discourse with James. 
He ? standing upon some eminence, which 



the son of Alpha us. 



'Ill 



Hegesippus calls by a term now generally 
rendered by us a battlement or pinnacle, openly 
declared and argued, that Jesus was the Christ 
or the expected Messiah, and that his doctrine 
contained full instruction how men may be 
saved and obtain eternal life. At which some 
leading men among the Jews were much 
offended. They then laid hold of him, and 
perhaps dragged him out of the temple. Some 
of the people threw stones at him. And 
though he earnestly prayed to God in the 
behalf of those who abused him, kneeling 
down and saying, after the manner of our Lord 
at his crucifixion, " O Lord God the Father, 
forgive them, for they know not what they do 
they persisted in their abuses, till one of them, 
a fuller, struck him on the head with a long- 
pole, which put an end to his life. 

His death, as is generally agreed among 
learned men, happened about the time of the 
Passover in the year 62 ; when Festus being 
dead, and Albinus not yet arrived, the province 
of Judea was left without a governor: and the 
unbelieving Jews thus found themselves at 
liberty to gratify their licentious and turbulent 
disposition. It is related by Origen, Eusebius, 
and Jerome, to have been the opinion of 
Josephus the Jewish historian, and to have 
been recorded by him as the common opinion, 



278 Philip and James 



that the sufferings of the Jews, and the destruc- 
tion of their city and temple, were owing to the 
anger of God, excited by the murder of James. 
This record, if genuine, as proceeding from a 
person who was not himself a Christian, is a 
remarkable testimony to the character of the 
Apostle k . His memory was cherished with 
affection by the Christians, so that a monument 
or pillar was erected to his honour, possibly 
however not till after the siege of Jerusalem, 
which Hegesippus, as quoted by Eusebius, de- 
scribes to have been remaining in his time near 
the place where the Apostle was killed : and 
Eusebius himself says, that the throne or epis- 
copal chair, in which James was used to sit, was 
preserved to his days, and was had in venera- 
tion by the church at Jerusalem l , 

St, James however has left a more perma- 
nent memorial behind him in the Epistle which 
bears his name ; and which was written pro- 
bably not long before his martyrdom, as ap- 
pears from some passages in it relating to the 
approaching ruin of the Jewish nation. It is 
addressed " to the twelve tribes, which are 
scattered abroad 111 :" evidently therefore to the 
Jews dispersed over the countries of the east ; 
but whether to believing or unbelieving Jews is 



k Bp. Tomline. 



1 Dr. Lardner, 



Jam, i. 1. 



the son of Alp hams. 



279 



questioned, though the probability should seem 
to lie in favour of the former, according to the 
constant practice of the Apostles, whose Epis- 
tles are addressed to none but Christian con- 
verts. At all events it was principally designed 
for the benefit and comfort of the believing 
Jews, whom it animates to support with for- 
titude and patience any sufferings to which 
they might be exposed ; whilst it inforces the 
genuine doctrines and practice of the Gospel 
in opposition to the errors and vices which then 
prevailed . The principal source of those errors 
and vices was a misinterpretation of St. Paul's 
doctrine of justification by faith without the 
works of the law ; whence an inference had 
been drawn, that moral duties were not essen- 
tial to salvation ; and an abandonment to every 
species of licentiousness and profligacy had in- 
sued. To this misinterpretation St. James op- 
poses himself : he presses upon Christians their 
obligation to purity, patience, charity, and all 
the virtues of a Christian life ; and he proves 
by undeniable arguments, that no faith can 
justify us before God, and intitle us to eternal 
happiness, but such as carries with it obedience 
to God's commandments and the works of a 
pious and charitable conversation. 

The Epistle is written with perspicuity and 
energy, as well as with much poetical beauty 



280 Philip and James 



and elegance in some particular parts ; and it 
contains a valuable summary of those practical 
duties and moral virtues, which are required of 
Christians. 

Besides tins Epistle a kind of preparatory 
Gospel has been assigned to him, still extant 
under the name of Protevangelion ; it is how- 
ever a spurious and apocryphal work, and con- 
tains many things trifling and ridiculous, others 
contrary to certain and known truths, and 
others again contradictory to each other. It 
was not received by the primitive Church* nor 
has it any pretensions to be considered as the 
work of the Apostle". 

REFLEXIONS. 

In reflecting upon the life of this Saint we 
may observe, that the circumstance of James, 
" the Lord's brother" or near kinsman, being 
one of his Apostles, gives a propriety and fit- 
ness to the appointment, inasmuch as it afforded 
opportunity for evidence to be borne to our 
Lord's character from a quarter, w here accurate 
information was most likely to be procured. 
If there had been anv thins: in that character of a 
blameable or questionable kind, it must doubt- 
less have been best known to those, who were 



n Mr. Joues. 



the son of Aiphceus. 



281 



most intimately connected with him, and must 
have formed an insuperable obstacle to their 
uniting themselves with him, and becoming his 
instruments in the enterprise of converting the 
world to the profession of a new religion. But 
one of his Apostles was James, the son of 
Alphaeus, " the Lord's brother:" another of 
them was " Judas, the brother of James," and 
therefore standing in the same relation to the 
Lord, as he. And it cannot with any shew of 
reason be supposed, that they would have fol- 
lowed him as disciples, or accepted his com- 
mission as Apostles, unless they had been per- 
suaded of his piety and integrity, of the sin- 
cerity of his purpose, and the purity and guile- 
lessness of his heart. 

But whilst there is an evident fitness in these 
brethren of our Lord being chosen among his 
Apostles, there appears a fitness also in not 
many of them being thus chosen. Such a 
choice, if multiplied to a great extent, might 
have given to the preaching of the Gospel a 
semblance of compact and collusion, or have 
laid the character of its author open to a charge 
of undue partiality and predilection. On the 
contrary therefore, of the twelve Apostles it is 
remarkable that a considerable majority were 
not connected with our Lord by any tie of 
natural kindred ; that probably two only were 



282 



Philip and James 



so connected : and that even those two, though 
called to the Apostleship, were not treated by 
him with any peculiar distinction above the 
other Apostles, and certainly were not admitted 
to such a degree of his intimacy and confidence 
as he bestowed on some other members of the 
Apostolical body. 

The excellent character of St. James has 
been noticed ; and the high esteem in which he 
was held, not by the Christian community 
only, but by unbelievers. The name of " the 
Just," which was commonly ascribed to him by 
many even during his life, is a proof of the 
opinion entertained of his virtue and integrity : 
he appears to have been equally remarkable 
for a well-tempered zeal, and for admirable 
moderation and discretion: enthusiasm and 
fanaticism were no more ingredients in the 
composition of his mind, than falsehood and 
dishonesty : so that his profession of the 
Christian faith during life, and his martyrdom 
to the Messiahship of Jesus, can only be ac- 
counted for on the ground of his deliberate 
and sincere persuasion of the truth of those 
pretensions, of which as " the Lord's brother," 
and subsequently as the Apostle of the Lord, 
he had the most ample means of forming a cor- 
rect judgment. 

In his conduct, as Bishop of Jerusalem, he 



the son of Alpha us* 



283 



appears to have fully justified the choice of 
those, who placed him in that station of honour- 
able eminence, and thus authorized him to take 
the lead in the councils and judgment of the 
primitive Christian Church. In the same 
course he persevered to the hour of his death, 
when he laid down his life in testimony of the 
truth of Jesus, and in the act of praying and 
pleading for his murderers; thus exhibiting 
a bright example of the value of the principles 
which he had inculcated in his teaching ; of 
those Christian graces, which, according to the 
tenour of his Epistle, are the surest evidence, 
the constant accompaniment, the fairest or- 
nament, the only infallible criterion, the very 
crown and perfection, of a true Christian faith. 

At the same time the fact of our Apostles 
elevation to the episcopal seat of Jerusalem is 
matter of no slight interest and importance to 
the whole Church in subsequent ages. Jeru- 
salem was the metropolis of Christendom ; the 
Church of Jerusalem was the mother of all 
Christian Churches: it was thence that " the 
word of the Lord sounded forth" unto the 
uttermost part of the earth: of that Church, 
by the choice probably of Peter, and other 
Apostles, with the concurrence surely and 
approbation of all, under the providence of 
the divine Founder, St. James was appointed 



234 



Philip and James 



Bishop : as such he presided in the council of 
44 the Apostles and elders," and regulated their 
deliberations, no man gainsaying him : an 
unanswerable argument, as against any other 
Church of Christendom claiming to herself the 
character of the mother of all Churches, so 
against the Bishop of any other Church, by 
virtue of a supposed succession from any other 
Apostle, arrogating to himself any spiritual 
authority or pre-eminence over the rest of the 
Christian world. 

Collects. 

" O Almighty God, whom truly to know is 
everlasting life ; Grant us perfectly to know thy 
Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and 
the life ; that, following the steps of thy holy 
Apostles, Saint Philip and Saint James, we may 
stedfastly walk in the way that leadeth to eter- 
nal life ; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen 0 " 

64 Almighty God, who through thine only- 
begotten Son Jesus Christ hast overcome death, 
and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life : 
We humbly beseech thee, that, as by thy special 
grace preventing us thou dost put into our 
minds good desires, so by thy continual help we 



0 Collect for the day. 



the §07i of Alphceus. 



285 



may bring the same to good effect ; through 
Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth 
with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, 
world without end. Amen,*" 

" O Saviour of the world, who by thy cross 
and precious blood hast redeemed us, save us 
and help us, we humbly beseech thee, O Lord V 

p Collect for Easter. q From the Order for the Visita- 
tion of the Sick. 



Holy Jesus, Saviour blest, 
As, by passion strong possest, 
Through this world of sin we stray, 
Thou to guide us art the way. 

Holy Jesus, when the night 
Of error blinds our clouded sight, 
Round the cheering day to throw, 
Saviour, then the truth art thou, 

Holy Jesus, when ourpow'r 
Fails us in temptation's hour, 
All unequal to the strife ; 
Thou to aid us art the life. 

Who would reach his heavenly home ; 
Who would to the Father come ; 
Who the Father's presence see ; 
Jesus, he must come by thee. 



286 Philip... .and James the son of Alphcem. 



Channel of the Father's grace, 
Image of the Father's face, 
Saviour blest, incarnate Son, 
With the Father thou art one, 



ST. BARNABAS. 



Joses, tvho by the Apostles was surnarned Barnabas, 
Acts iv. 36. 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ST. BARNABAS. 

THE festival of this day, having been omitted 
in the former editions of the Common Prayer, 
was added to the Calendar by the last Revisers 
in 1661: and with reason; for St. Barnabas, 
who is commemorated on this day, was not 
only u a good man, and full of the Holy 
Ghost, and of faith*," but, as the Church de- 
scribes him in the language of holy writ, an 
Apostle also : not an Apostle, as were the 
twelve, originally called and ordained to their 
apostleship by the Lord Jesus Christ in his 
own person upon earth ; nor as Matthias, who, 
after the fall of Judas, was chosen by the Lord's 
appointment to supply the vacancy, and was 



a Acts xi. 24. 



288 Joses, who by the Apostles 

thus numbered with the eleven ; nor altogether 
as St. Paul, who also was chosen by our Lord 
himself that in due time he might fill the office 
of an Apostle: but nevertheless in some sort 
as St. Paul, together with whom he was " sepa- 
rated to the Holy Ghost," at his own express 
commandment, by the laying on of the hands of 
" certain prophets and teachers in the church, 
for the work whereunto he had called them," 
and was thus " sent forth by him" to preach the 
Gospel to the Gentiles. Therefore the Church 
has deservedly appointed a day for the com- 
memoration of St. Barnabas, as well as for that 
of St. Paul, the celebration of whose conversion 
was likew ise provided for at the last revision of 
the Liturgy. 

St. Barnabas was by birth a Jew; " a Levite 
of the country of Cyprus V' which was an 
island in the Mediterranean Sea, not far from 
Syria to the east, and Cilicia to the north. In 
that fruitful country his parents appear to have 
been settled, and to have acquired property, 
such as by the Jewish law they were not 
intitled to possess in their own land. They 
are said to have provided for the education of 
their son by sending him to Jerusalem, there to 
be trained up in the knowledge of the law at the 



b Acts iv. 3G. 



ivas sumamed Barnabas. 289 



feet of the famous Gamaliel : and it has been 
surmised, not without apparent probability, 
though neither the sacred history, nor perhaps 
any authentick ecclesiastical writer, gives autho- 
rity for the surmise, that, when under Gamaliel's 
tuition, he laid the foundation of that intimacy 
with St. Paul, also a disciple of the same 
master, which subsisted so long between them 
in a later period of their lives 0 . 

The time of his conversion to Christianity is 
not known. According to the positive testi- 
mony of many ancient writers, he was one of the 
seventy disciples whom our Lord sent forth to 
preach. Certain it is from the Acts of the 
Apostles, that soon after our Lord's ascension 
he was amongst the disciples at Jerusalem: for 
then it was, that to assist in supplying the wants 
of the more indigent members of the Church, he 
"sold the land" which he possessed, probably 
his patrimonial estate in Cyprus; " and brought 
the money, and laid it at the Apostles' feet d ." 

This is the first occasion of his being men- 
tioned in the sacred history, which there de- 
scribes him as "Joses, who by the Apostles 
was surnamed Barnabas, which is, being in- 
terpreted, the Son of consolation." His proper 
and original name was Joses, by a softer termi- 



e Dr. Cave, Dr. Lardner. d Acts iv. 36, 37 

U 



290 



Joses, who by the Apostles 



nation familiar with the Greeks for Joseph, 
which, as a Jew, lie doubtless received at his 
admittance by circumcision into the Jewish co- 
venant. To this name, after he had embraced 
Christianity, the Apostles added that of Bar- 
nabas, denoting, as the sacred text interprets it, 
'? the Son of consolation an honourable ap- 
pellation, whether conferred upon him, as Chry- 
sostom intimates, generally in indication of his 
virtue, and of his peculiar qualifications and 
ability for administering comfort to the afflicted ; 
or more especially with a view to that noble 
example of disinterestedness and generosity, 
which he set upon the occasion w hereupon the 
addition of this name is recorded, and w here- 
upon it probably was actually added*. 

After this occurrence we have for some time 
no account of Barnabas, who however in all 
probability, during the dispersion of the Church 
which followed the martyrdom of St. Stephen, 
remained with the Apostles at Jerusalem; where 
some of his relations seem to have resided, and 
to have been in repute with the Church, as in the 
course of the history we learn to have been the 
case with his sister Mary, at whose house the 
Christians were wont to assemble for their reli- 
gious exercises ; and whose son John, surnamed 



e Dr. Cave. 



was surnamed Barnabas. 291 



Mark, nephew to Barnabas, became afterwards 
celebrated, as in conformity with the opinion of 
many learned men we have lately considered 
him, in the character of St. Mark the Evan- 
gelist. 

But whatever may have been the intermediate 
residence of Barnabas, the next transaction in 
which we learn of his being engaged took place 
at Jerusalem in connexion with St. Paul, who, 
as some think, had been formerly acquainted 
with him, or, in the opinion of others, now met 
with Barnabas, and found an opportunity of 
giving him an account of his conversion and of 
the subsequent events f : and from henceforth 
the history of St. Barnabas is closely connected 
with that of St. Paul. 

In the ninth chapter of the Acts we find 
these two holy men first mentioned together, on 
occasion of St. Paul's first journey to Jerusalem 
about three years after his conversion : when 
the disciples, who had previously known his 
hostility to the Church, avoiding all communi- 
cation with him, for 6( they were afraid of him, 
and believed not that he was a disciple," there- 
upon " Barnabas took him and brought him to 
the Apostles, and declared unto them how he 
had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had 



Dr. Lartlner. 



292 



J oses i ivho by the Apostles 



spoken to him, and how he had preached 
boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. And 
he was with them coming in and going out at 
Jerusalem." 

In the eleventh chapter we are informed, that 
Barnabas, having been deputed by the Apostles 
at Jerusalem to visit and confirm the Church 
recently established at Antioch in Syria, was 
desirous of Paul's co-operation, whom he ac- 
cordingly brought from Tarsus for the purpose : 
and that they continued there together pro- 
moting the knowledge and belief of the Gospel, 
" assembling themselves a whole year with the 
Church, and teaching much people" at Antioch, 
whence they were at length dispatched by the 
disciples of those parts to convey relief during 
a time of dearth to the distressed Christians of 
Judea. 

In the thirteenth chapter we find them, when 
they had fulfilled their charitable ministry, re- 
turned again from Jerusalem to Antioch, when 
by a special commission of the Holy Ghost they 
were separated by the prophets and teachers of 
the Church " for the work whereunto he had 
called them," and thus duly invested with the 
Apostleship : and in the course of that and of 
the following chapter a compendious recital is 
given of their departure from Antioch agree- 
ably to their commission, and of their journey 



was surnamed Barnabas. 293 



through many of the countries, and their visits 
to many of the cities, of Asia; during which 
we find them 44 going together into the syna- 
gogues," and " publishing the word of the Lord 
throughout those regions ;" 44 confirming the 
souls of the disciples, and exhorting them and 
persuading them to continue in the faith and in 
the grace of God ;" 44 opening the door of faith 
unto the Gentiles," and 44 converting great mul- 
titudes both of the Jews and also of the Greeks;" 
44 confirming their word by miracles, and signs, 
and wonders/' which 44 the Lord granted to be 
done by their hands;" 44 ordaining elders in 
every church" for its due government under 
their episcopal authority ; 44 hazarding their 
lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ;" 
and at last returning to Antioch, 44 from whence 
they had been recommended to the grace of 
God for the work which they had fulfilled," and 
where " they abode a long time with the dis- 
ciples." 

In the fifteenth chapter we find them again 
associated in an affair of great interest and mo- 
ment to the infant church ; when, on occasion 
of a question started by some of the Jewish con- 
verts concerning the subserviency of Christians 
to the Mosaicklaw, the same two Apostles were 
delegated by the brethren at Antioch to go up 
to Jerusalem, and to consult the rest of the 



294 



Joses, who by the Apostles 



Apostles and the elders on the question ; whence 
they returned with a sentence corroborative of 
the judgment which they had themselves pre- 
viously supported, and redounding greatly to 
the consolation and joy of those to whom it was 
delivered. Their return is succeeded by the 
observation, that " Paul and Barnabas con- 
tinued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the 
word of the Lord." 

The period, which had elapsed between the 
earliest occurrence noticed in the intercourse 
of these Apostles with each other, and the point 
in their history at which we are now arrived, 
was about sixteen years: and during the whole 
of this time we enjoy the delightful prospect of 
two Christian brethren, servants of God, and 
ministers of the Church of Christ, dwelling to- 
gether in unity, taking sweet counsel together, 
and walking in the house of God as friends. 
That any event should have arisen to interrupt 
their harmony and terminate their intercourse, 
was perhaps as little to be anticipated, as it is 
painful to reflect that such an event did actually 
occur. Upon the suggestion of St. Paul, they 
were now about to undertake another jour- 
ney in furtherance of their former pious and 
charitable efforts for the establishment of the 
Christian faith, when an unhappy circumstance 
intervened which led to their disagreement and 



was sur named Barnabas, 295 

separation. At the end of the twelfth chapter 
it is related, that on their return from Jerusalem 
to Antioch, after " they had fulfilled their minis- 
try" of conveying relief to the poor brethren of 
Judea, they " took with them John, whose sur- 
name was Mark." In the commencement of 
their journey, related in the thirteenth chapter, 
the same John accompanied them: but instead 
of continuing with them throughout their tra- 
vels, he quitted them, when they were not far 
advanced, at Perga in Pamphylia, " and re- 
turned to Jerusalem" for some reason, which the 
sacred historian leaves us to conjecture, giving 
us no further information concerning it than 
that it was not sufficient to satisfy St. Paul. 
For when they were now proceeding to visit 
the churches which they had founded on their 
former journey, and " Barnabas determined 
to take with them John whose surname was 
Mark," probably actuated by a feeling of na- 
tural affection towards him, for he was " sister's 
son to Barnabas," " Paul thought not good to 
take him with them," upon the ground that he 
had " departed from them from Pamphylia, 
and went not with them to the work. And 
the contention was so sharp between them, that 
they departed asunder one from the other : and 
so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cy- 



296 Joses, who by the Apostles 



prus ; and Paul chose Silas, and departed, be- 
ing recommended by the brethren unto the 
grace of God. And he went through Syria 
and Cilicia, confirming the churches." 

What ensued between them, or whether their 
intercourse was subsequently renewed, we have 
not any scriptural, nor any ecclesiastical au- 
thority for affirming. There cannot however 
be a doubt, that however sharp was their con- 
tention at the time, and whatever separation 
resulted from it, they experienced no perma- 
nent separation of their minds and affections. 
In the first Epistle to the Corinthians, written 
some time after this occurrence, St. Paul thus 
contends for his privilege as an Apostle to 
receive a free maintenance from his converts : 
" Have we not power to eat and to drink? Have 
we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as 
well as other Apostles, and as the brethren of 
the Lord, and Cephas? Or I only and Bar- 
nabas, have not we power to forbear working V' 
These questions appear to imply, not only a 
community of interests, but also a feeling of 
benevolence and kindness in St. Paul towards 
the person, whose rights he thus identifies with 
his own. And all the information which we 
possess concerning St. Barnabas, who is em- 
phatically known to us as " the Son of conso- 



was surnamed Barnabas. 297 



lation," may convince us, that he would not be 
backward in cherishing the like feelings of re- 
ciprocal kindness and good will. 

With any particular testimonies however of 
these feelings on the part of Barnabas, as well 
with any other circumstances in the sequel of 
his history, the Scriptures do not make us ac- 
quainted. The ecclesiastical writers also throw 
but little light on the remainder of his life : nor 
can reliance be placed on the Acts, which go 
under the name of Mark, nor upon the life of 
Barnabas written by a monk of Alexandria^. 
Some writers report him to have travelled into 
Egypt ; others into Italy, and to have preached 
the Gospel at Rome, and founded a Church at 
Milan h . It is probable, however, that in a later 
period of his life he returned to Cyprus : and 
that he was there stoned to death by the Jews 
of Salamis, and buried by his kinsman Mark 
in a cave not far distant from that city. The 
miracles reported to have been wrought at his 
tomb ; and subsequently, the discovery of his 
remains, in consequence of three apparitions of 
the Saint himself in the year 485, when St. 
Matthew's Gospel, written in Hebrew by Bar- 
nabas^s own hands, is said to have been found 
lying upon his breast; may be well ranked 



g Calmet. h Mr. Nelson : 



298 Joses, who hy the Apostles 



among the tales of a fond superstition or a 
daring imposture : notwithstanding the Em- 
peror Zeno, as a testimony of his joy at the 
discovery, honoured the see of Salamis with the 
privilege of being independent of any patri- 
archal jurisdiction : a privilege, afterward ra- 
tified by the Emperor Justinian, whose wife 
Theodora was a Cypriot 5 . 

An Epistle is still extant under the name of 
Barnabas, which has been cited as his by several 
of the ancients, whilst others have pronounced 
it spurious. The opinions of learned men 
among the moderns also have been much 
divided as to its genuineness. Certainly it has 
never been received as inspired, nor admitted 
by the Church into the Canon of Scripture. 
But, whoever was the author, it is acknow- 
ledged to be of high antiquity, and to have 
been written soon after the destruction of Je- 
rusalem by Titus ; most probably in the year of 
our Lord 71 or 72: a circumstance, which has 
been considered by Archbishop Laud and 
some other of the opponents of its genuineness 
as a conclusive argument against the supposi- 
tion of its having been written by Barnabas, 
whom there are strong grounds for believing 
to have been dead before that event k . The 



i Dr. Cave. 



k Mr. Jones. 



teas surnamed Barnabas, 



299 



Epistle consists of two parts: the first is an 
exhortation and argument to constancy in the 
belief and profession of the Christian doctrine ; 
particularly the simplicity of it, without the 
rites of the Jewish law : the second part con- 
tains moral instructions. Its structure is intri- 
cate and obscure, and its style highly allego- 
rical 1 . It was originally written in Greek: but 
parts of it, which are wanting in the copies 
now extant in that language, are supplied by an 
old Latin version. A translation of it into 
English was published in the beginning of the 
last century by Archbishop Wake, together 
w ith other Epistles of the Apostolical Fathers. 

REFLEXIONS. 

The particulars in the character of St. Bar- 
nabas, which have now been passing under our 
view, shew him to have been possessed of a 
disinterested and noble generosity, in relin- 
quishing his own possessions, and in sacrificing 
his personal ease, for the benefit of his bre- 
thren ; of candour, ingenuousness, and libera- 
lity, in removing from the minds of the Apostles 
their prepossessions against St. Paul, and in 
afterwards seeking him out and uniting him 
with himself as his associate in the ministry; 

1 Dr, Cave, Dr. Lardner. 



300 Joses, who by the Apostles 



and of a ready conformity to the divine will, 
which separated and sent him forth to the work 
of an Apostle, and of faithfulness, diligence, 
activity, and courage in performing his com- 
mission : so that the Church with reason com- 
memorates him in the Collect for the day, as 
one whom " Almighty God endued with sin- 
gular gifts of the Holy Ghost agreeably to 
the testimony borne to his character by the 
Evangelist, that " he was a good man, and full 
of the Holy Ghost, and of faith." 

Various reflexions would readily arise from 
these different qualities and acts of our Apo- 
stle : but passing by these, we will rather ad- 
vert to that occurrence, which closes his history 
in the Acts; namely the contention and separa- 
tion between him and St. Paul, after their long 
and cordial co-operation in the ministry, as an 
occurrence of a peculiar nature, and calculated 
to suggest remarks singularly conducive to our 
instruction and improvement. No judgment is 
intimated by the historian concerning their se- 
paration ; but considering that they had long 
been associated in their ministry, that they 
were on the point of proceeding together in 
the further execution of the duties of it, and 
that they were prevented from carrying their 
purpose into effect by the sharpness of the con- 
tention between them; it is reasonable to under- 



was surnamed Barnabas. 



301 



stand, as indeed hath been usually understood, 
that the conduct of one or both of them was 
reprehensible: that Barnabas ought not to have 
" determined to take with them" a person who 
had before " departed from them," supposing 
his departure to have been unjustifiable; or 
that Paul ought not to have refused the re- 
admission of him into their company, supposing 
a sufficient cause to have existed for his de- 
parture ; or that in any case they should both 
have conducted the dispute with that temper 
and conciliatory spirit, which might have en- 
abled them to persevere with mutual goodwill 
and co-operation in a work, in which they had 
before been so happily associated. An unbe- 
coming degree of pertinacity and irritation in 
one or both of them seems to have produced 
that consequence, which a due degree of con- 
cession or moderation in one or both might 
have prevented from occurring. Upon this 
view of the subject our succeeding reflexions 
will proceed. 

In the first place, then, we may notice the ad- 
mirable frankness of the sacred writers as to the 
manner in which they communicate information 
to the world : desirous, as it should seem, of 
giving a correct exposition of the facts, which 
they "have taken in hand to set forth," and in- 



302 Joses, who by the Apostles 

different to the appearance, which their exposi- 
tion might have with the reader. 

It might for instance have been thought more 
creditable to the new religion, more calculated 
to recommend it in the estimation of strangers, 
and of course to ensure its success in the world, 
had the historians of it concealed the defects 
of those by whom it was first professed and 
preached. The denial of Peter, the disbelief of 
Thomas, the doubts of the other Apostles, the 
worldly views and ambitious projects of the 
twelve, especially of James and John, had a 
natural tendency to reflect dishonour on the 
religion, the propagation of which was intrusted 
to them by their Lord. A similar effect was 
likely to be produced by the differences, which 
prevailed amongst some of the Apostles as to 
their conduct in relation to the question be- 
tween the Jewish and Gentile converts con- 
cerning the obligation of the Mosaick law, 
when, as St. Paul says to the Galatians, he 
u withstood Peter to the face because he was 
to be blamed." A similar effect again might 
have been apprehended from the disagree- 
ment, the contention, and consequent division 
between Paul and Barnabas upon the occasion 
before us. 

Now with a very natural and laudable feel- 



tuas su? named Barnabas. 303 



ing for the honour of their religion, it might 
have been expected that the sacred writers 
would be anxious to keep such matters as these 
out of sight ; not by falsifying their history 
indeed, but by a prudent and politick silence 
upon occurrences which might probably con- 
tribute to the injury of their cause. Thus in the 
present instance St. Luke might have omitted 
to state distinctly and in terms, that Paul and 
Barnabas "departed asunder one from the 
other;" or contenting himself with a bare state- 
ment of the fact, he might have omitted to de- 
clare expressly, that a " sharp contention be- 
tween them" was the cause. 

But the sacred writers did not, if the expres- 
sion may be allowed, write for effect. Having, 
as St. Luke declares of himself at the commence- 
ment of his Gospel, " had perfect understand- 
ing of all things from the very first," they seem to 
have gone fairly and honestly to work, " writing 
in order" their simple narratives with no other 
object than that of giving an undissembled re- 
presentation of actual events. To the candid 
reader their simplicity is most valuable, and 
productive of the best possible consequence ; 
for it affords him the most convincing testimony 
and the strongest assurance, of their sincerity, 
fidelity, and invariable attachment to the truth. 
Secondly, it may be observed, that by giving 



304 



Joses, who by the Apostles 



this inartificial exposition of real occurrences, 
illustrative as they evidently are of the charac- 
ters of the persons concerned in them, instead 
of attempting a romantick exhibition of perfect 
and unmixed goodness, the sacred writers assist 
in leading us to form correct views of human 
nature. 

We read in the fourteenth chapter of the 
Acts, that, in their journey through the pro- 
vinces of Asia, our two Apostles had so recom- 
mended themselves by their eloquence and mi- 
racles to the people of Lystra in Lycaonia, that 
they would fain have done sacrifice unto them, 
crying out, " The gods are come down unto us 
in the likeness of men/' The Apostles "scarce 
restrained" them by expostulating and declar- 
ing, "Sirs, why do ye these things? We also 
are men of like passions with you." That they 
were "men of like passions" with other men, 
appears from the infirmities, from which in com- 
mon with others they were not exempted. 

Of one person alone do the holy Scriptures 
present us with an unblemished and perfect 
character; namely, of Him, "to whom the 
Spirit was given without measure," and "in 
whom dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead 
bodily he alone could say confidently to his 
enemies, with reference to the intire course of his 
unsullied life, "Which of you convinceth me of 



was sur named Uamabas. 305 



sin?" Of him alone could it be affirmed with- 
out exception or qualification, that he " left us 
an example, that we should in all things follow 
his steps, who did no sin." With respect to his 
Apostles, and the other worthies both of the Old 
and of the New Testament, St. James has pro- 
nounced, " in many things we offend all." And 
St. John has confirmed the sentiment, with a se- 
vere censure on the self-delusion and falsehood 
of those, who maintain the contrary profession, 
" If we say that we have no sin, we deceive our- 
selves, and the truth is not in us." 

Well therefore does the Church direct all and 
each of the members of her congregations, re- 
peatedly to beseech our heavenly Father in the 
words which our Lord has taught us, that he 
will " forgive us our trespasses :" well does she 
direct us all, even the very best of us, to humble 
ourselves daily " before the throne of the hea- 
venly grace" with the penitent confession that 
we are "miserable offenders;" to supplicate 
daily for the protection of Almighty God, that 
" we fall into no sin, but that all our doings may 
be ordered by his governance, to do always that 
is righteous in his sight and after all con- 
tinually to ask of him," whose nature and pro- 
perty is ever to have mercy and to forgive," that 
"though we be tied and bound with the chain 
of our sins, yet" he would "let the pitifulness 



306 



Joses, who by the Apostles 



of his great mercy loose us, for the honour of 
Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Advocate." 

But the quality of the persons, whose con- 
duct has given occasion to our reflexions, and 
their character, both for moral excellence, and 
for spiritual endowments, may lead us to insist 
somewhat more particularly on the present 
point. 

St. Paul has affirmed concerning himself, and 
the general tenour of his life and conversation 
is our warrant in giving credit to the affirm- 
ation, that " herein did he exercise himself, to 
have always a conscience void of offence toward 
God and toward men." Of St. Barnabas the 
author of the Acts of the Apostles has borne 
testimony, and the particulars recorded of his 
previous and subsequent conduct are in unison 
with the testimony, that " he was a good man, 
and full of the Holy Ghost, and of faith." Both 
of them therefore were men of distinguished 
moral excellence, which they manifested by 
their indefatigable labours for the glory of God, 
and the salvation of their fellow creatures, spar- 
ing themselves no trouble, and even "hazard- 
ing their lives, for the name of our Lord Jesus 
Christ." Both of them were likewise endowed 
with eminent spiritual gifts. Separated by the 
special designation of the Holy Ghost " for the 
work whereunto he had called them," they were 



was surnamed Barnabas. 



307 



successful in fulfilling the work to which they 
had been appointed, arid 44 in opening the door 
of faith unto the Gentiles, speaking boldly in 
the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word 
of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to 
be wrought by their hands." Yet of men, thus 
honourably and virtuously distinguished, we 
find one or both, upon the present occasion, 
guilty of reprehensible vehemence of temper, 
which resulted in an unbecoming separation 
from each other's society in the propagation 
and establishment of the Gospel. 

The inference may be profitable to different 
persons amongst us, however they may be dis- 
tinguished amongst themselves by characters 
very different from one another. Are we in- 
clined to think highly of ourselves, and to 
cherish presumptuous imaginations, by reason 
of any intellectual or moral superiority, or of 
any excellence of spiritual qualifications, to 
which we may imagine ourselves to have at- 
tained? That we may not 4 ' be exalted above 
measure through the abundance" of our gifts or 
our graces, let us cast our eyes upon these 
Apostles, men doubtless more gifted and most 
probably not less virtuous than we ; let us con- 
sider at the same time that they were 44 men of 
like passions with" their fellow-creatures, and 
like their fellow-creatures therefore subject to 



308 Joses, who by the Apostles 

human infirmities : and let this consideration 
draw us on to ponder our own passions, to ex- 
amine our own infirmities, to form a more sober 
estimate of our own merits and value, to quicken 
our diligence in " working out our salvation 
with fear and trembling," and so to " walk 
humbly with our God." 

Are we on the contrary disposed to sink 
under excessive timidity of spirit, to be weighed 
down by the consciousness of our manifold de- 
ficiencies, and to despond from a lowly con- 
templation of our spiritual state, notwithstand- 
ing we may be anxious, to the best of our 
power, to serve God and keep his command- 
ments? Let the remembrance of the infirmi- 
ties of the greatest saints of God minister re- 
freshment and consolation to our soul: let us 
recollect that frailty will be in various degrees 
the lot and portion of man, until " this cor- 
ruptible shall have put on incorruption, and 
this mortal shall have put on immortality:" let 
us recollect that the strength of God is made 
perfect in human weakness, and that he is 
faithful, who will not suffer his sincere wor- 
shippers " to be tempted above that they are 
able ;" whilst we cherish therefore a salutary 
apprehension of his justice, let us support our- 
selves on the assurance of his mercy ; let us 
" acquaint ourselves with him, and be at peace." 



ivas surname d Barnabas. 309 



But farther ; the particular circumstances of 
the case may be of use in placing us on our 
guard against that kind of conduct, which ap- 
pears reprehensible in these holy men. On the 
occasion of their dispute, so transiently and with 
such slight circumstances as it is mentioned in 
the history, there is some difficulty in forming a 
decided opinion. It has indeed been ingeniously 
remarked, that " when Barnabas, probably from 
a natural affection for his kinsman Mark, wished 
to take him with them, Paul, actuated by his 
honest zeal for propagating the faith, thought it 
not right to employ a man upon whose steadi- 
ness he could not rely that therefore, " if we 
were to decide upon the merits of each conduct, 
St. Paul's principle appears the more just and 
pure ; yet surely it may be thought a weakness 
of an amiable kind in Barnabas, to be so ready 
in pardoning his friend, and hoping better things 
from him in time to come : so that, although we 
may lament any occasion of difference between 
them, as well as their pursuing it with too much 
heat and anger, it is pleasing to think, that the 
contest was rather between virtuous affections, 
carried on one side to excess, than between any 
mean or selfish passions on either part." 

The suggestion with respect to the origin of 
the dispute is consolatory. But however this 
may have been, the dispute having arisen, there 



310 



Joses, who by the Apostles 



appears to have been improper vehemence in 
the conduct of it: " the contention was so sharp 
between them, that they departed asunder the 
one from the other." It was the observation of 
the wise king many ages since, " a soft answer 
turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up 
anger." Daily experience confirms the j ustness 
of the observation. Probably the latter member 
of it may have been confirmed by the unhappy 
issue of the debate on the present occasion: pro- 
bably the former member would have been con- 
firmed by a different issue, had the dispute been 
conducted with circumstances of less irritation. 
The language of the sacred historian appears to 
be our warrant for supposing, that, had " the 
contention" been less " sharp" between the con- 
flicting parties, they might not have " departed 
asunder one from the other;" but might have 
gone again, and visited together, and together 
confirmed the churches, which together they had 
planted and watered, to the mutual joy and con- 
solation and support of each other, as well as 
to the general edification of the brethren at 
large. 

Let a result, so little to have been expected, 
and so much to be deplored, in men situated as 
were the Apostles, be an admonition to us in 
our familiar and social intercourse. Reciprocal 
concessions with respect to the subjects on 



ivas surnamed Barnabas.- 311 



which we differ, so far as such concessions may 
be compatible with a conscientious sense of 
what our duty requires of us, may often pre- 
vent consequences injurious to the interests of 
Christian charity and brotherly love. Mildness 
in maintaining our own opinions, where con- 
sistently with a sense of duty we cannot recede 
from them, may often produce the same salutary 
effect. And surely in this our earthly state of 
imperfection and infirmity, there is inquietude 
enough to which we must be subject, without 
multiplying the occasions of it unnecessarily, or 
aggravating that, which with all our care we 
may not be able to avoid. After the journey- 
ings,the fatigues, the perils, the works and labours 
of love, the hazardingof their lives for the name 
of the Lord Jesus Christ, which Paul and Bar- 
nabas had encountered together for the space of 
about sixteen years, who would have anticipated 
any material disagreement, who would have an- 
ticipated a " sharp contention," between them ? 
who would have expected to see them " depart 
asunder one from the other" in consequence of 
such disagreement and contention? But, as the 
wise king saith again, " The beginning of strife 
is as when one letteth out water," pregnant with 
danger, and impatient of control : therefore, as 
he adds, let us " leave off contention before it be 
meddled with;" and as a means thereto, let us, 



312 



Joses, who by the Apostles 



as St. Peter exhorts, "have fervent charity among 
ourselves," let us " seek peace, and ensue it." 

It only remains to be observed, that notwith- 
standing the regret which must naturally be ex- 
perienced on occasion of this difference, there 
are still some circumstances belonging to it 
calculated to diminish that regret. 

One of these has been already suggested ; 
namely, that the dispute appears to have arisen 
from virtuous affections ; on the part of St. 
Barnabas, from a feeling of kindness and hu- 
manity ; from a sense of justice and an extreme 
anxiety to propagate the Christian faith, on the 
part of St. Paul. Besides, that St. Paul was 
probably actuated in some degree by a desire 
to convince Mark of the culpable indifference 
in the work of the Gospel, of which in St. 
PauPs judgment he had been guilty ; and so to 
produce in him better resolutions, and a more 
steady and consistent conduct for the future. 
Accordingly no lasting animosity prevailed 
amongst the parties : for although we have no 
certain intelligence concerning the subsequent 
proceedings of Barnabas, we have sufficient 
reason to be persuaded that a perfect reconci- 
liation took place between the other persons 
concerned in the dispute ; for that Mark after- 
wards again became a " fellow-labourer" of 
St. Paul, and " a fellow-worker with him unto 



was surnamed Barnabas. 313 



the kingdom of God ;" and was " profitable 
unto him for the ministry," and \* a comfort to 
him" in his afflictions and bonds. 

Add to all these considerations one other 
of material moment; that during the very 
height of their contention, when the Apostles 
" departed asunder one from the other," their 
division was not a schism, according to the 
scriptural and ecclesiastical sense of the term ; 
it was not a religious separation. Differing 
as they did in opinion upon the expediency or 
propriety of admitting a particular person into 
their company on a particular journey, they 
had not a shadow of a difference upon the ob- 
ject of that journey. Perceiving therefore 
that they could not satisfactorily go together 
again to the same places, "and visit the bre- 
thren in every city where they had preached 
the word of the Lord," they visited them apart, 
apparently having come to some previous un- 
derstanding and arrangement on the subject ; 
and " Barnabas sailed unto Cyprus," and "Paul 
went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming 
the churches." And there doubtless in their 
respective departments, each by himself, they 
preached the same word of God, the same 
faith in Christ, the same doctrine of justifica- 
tion and forgiveness of sins, in a word, the 
same Gospel which they had formerly preached; 



314 



Joses. who by the Apostles 



and ordained in every church the same orders 
of ministers, which they had formerly or- 
dained ; when at first by their united endea- 
vours they " opened the door of faith unto the 
Gentiles," and " fulfilled the work for which 
they had been separated by the Holy Ghost." 

Such are among the more pleasing circum- 
stances which belong to the portion of the his- 
tory of these two holy men, to which our 
thoughts have been now directed. And as 
from the more painful, so also from the more 
agreeable, circumstances of the case, we may 
derive matter of useful practical application. 
They may teach us, if ever we are so unhappy 
as to be engaged in dissention with others, to 
take heed to our motives, that they be equitable 
and humane: they may teach us, in all our 
disputes, to have an eye to the instruction, cor- 
rection, and improvement of those who may be 
the occasion of them : they may teach us, to 
reconcile ourselves unto those, with whom we 
are at variance, as speedily as possible, making 
them, as far as we are able, our fellow-workers, 
and fellow-labourers in doing good : finally 
they may teach us, whatever be the cause of 
our difference with others, not to suffer that 
difference to operate upon us in the exercise of 
our Christian profession, not to let it divert us 
from an unanimous acknowledgment of the 



ivas surnamed Barnabas. 315 



Christian faith, nor withdraw us from an united 
observance of Christian discipline; but although 
we may differ upon questions of expediency, 
or fitness, or other points of subordinate im- 
portance, still to believe the same doctrine of 
the Lord, to adhere to the same worship, to 
listen to the same word of exhortation, to prac- 
tise the same means of grace, and to cherish 
the same hope of salvation and eternal life. 

Upon the whole, whatever supernatural powers 
were communicated to the Apostles by the 
extraordinary influence of the Holy Ghost, or 
whatever moral improvement they were enabled 
to attain by the operation of his ordinary 
grace, they still continued to be " men of like 
passions" with other men ; they still continued 
to be moral and responsible agents, and of 
course to be possessed of liberty of will and 
of action. Happily by God's grace they trod 
for the most part in the right way : occasion- 
ally however they appear to have deviated 
from it. As their virtues are recorded for our 
example, so are their frailties for our admoni- 
tion. Free agents as they were, and blessed 
at the same time with a competent portion of 
the grace of God, be it our care to imitate their 
virtues, and to avoid their defects. After all 
imperfection will still be found in the very best 
of us. But the more earnest are our endea- 



316 



Joses, who by the Apostles 



vours after perfection, the more complete will 
be our success ; and the brighter will ultimately 
be our crown of glory in that day, when " the 
Lord of hosts shall make up his jewels" 3 ;" 
when " death shall be swallowed up in victory"," 
and corruption shall cease with the passions 
that nourish it, and " the spirits of just men 
shall be made perfect 0 ." 

Collects. 

" pO Lord God Almighty, who didst endue 
thy holy Apostle Barnabas with singular gifts 
of the Holy Ghost ; leave us not, we beseech 
thee, destitute of thy manifold gifts, nor yet of 
grace to use them alway to thy honour and 
glory ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen," 

a q Almighty and everlasting God, give unto 
us the increase of faith, hope, and charity : and 
that we may obtain that which thou dost pro- 
mise, make us to love that which thou dost 
command ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen" 

" v God, who didst teach the hearts of thy 
faithful people by sending to them the light of 
thy Holy Spirit ; Grant us by the same Spirit to 

m Mai. iii. 17. n 1 Cor. xv. 54. 0 Heb. xii. 23. 

p Collect for the day. q Collect for the 14th Sunday 

after Trinity. r Collect for Whitsunday. 



ivas surnamed Barnabas. 317 



have a right judgment in all things, and ever- 
more to rejoice in his holy comfort, through the 
merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour, who liveth 
and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same 
Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen." 



" Come, Holy Ghost, my soul inspire V s 
Spirit of the Almighty Sire, 
Spirit of the Son divine, 
Comforter, thy gifts be mine ! 

Holy Spirit, in my breast 
Grant that lively faith may rest, 
And subdue each rebel thought 
To believe what thou hast taught ! 

When around my sinking soul 
Gathering waves of sorrow roll, 
Spirit blest, the tempest still, 
And with hope my bosom fill ! 

Holy Spirit, from my mind 
Thought, and wish, and will unkind, 
Deed and word unkind remove, 
And my bosom fill with love ! 

Faith and hope and charity, 
Comforter, descend from thee. 
" Thou th' anointing Spirit art :" 
These thy gifts to us impart ; 



I 



318 



Joses, who by the Apostles, fyc. 



Till our faith be lost in sight, 
Hope be swallowed in delight, 
And love return to dwell with thee^ 
In the threefold Deity ! 



ST. JOHN BAPTIST. 



There was a man sent from God, whose name was John, 
John i. 6. 



PROPHETICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE 
OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST. 

" THERE was a man sent from God, whose 
name was John :" that is, not John the Apo- 
stle and Evangelist, the beloved disciple of 
our Lord, from whose Gospel the description 
is taken : but John the Baptist, our Lord^s 
messenger and forerunner, that " burning and 
shining light," whom the Church commemorates 
this day ; called, according to the special ap- 
pointment of God, by the name of John, as an 
intimation probably of that divine grace and 
favour which eminently distinguished his mis- 
sion ; such being the meaning of the word a ; 
and further denominated " the Baptist," because 
it was by baptism, a rite previously indeed prac- 

* Bp. Home, Dr. Doddridge. 



320 There was a man sent from God, 

tised by the Jews, but by him first used to figure 
out to them repentance and remission of sins, 
that he admitted disciples to a profession of his 
doctrine b . 

It is worthy of our observation, that whereas 
the other Saints are commemorated on the sup- 
posed day of their respective deaths, the day 
chosen for the commemoration of John the 
Baptist is that of his nativity ; this being the 
only nativity, besides that of our blessed 
Saviour, for which the Church assembles with 
thanksgiving 0 . The reason of this is obvious. 
It was by the nativity of the Baptist that the 
providence of Almighty God was most wonder- 
fully shewn ; in the foretelling of that event by 
ancient prophecies, in its announcement by an 
angel before the conception of the child, in the 
preternatural character of the event itself, lastly 
in the appearance of the Baptist as the fore- 
runner and harbinger of our Lord. The Saints 
of the Church in general were martyrs or wit- 
nesses to the Christian truth by their deaths : 
the Baptist bore his witness in the most me- 
morable manner by his birth. And although he 
may doubtless be said to have suffered mar- 
tyrdom, and to have glorified God by his death, 
for he suffered and died " for the truth's sake," 



b Mr. Nelson. 



' Dean Stanhope. 



whose name ivas John. 



321 



yet he cannot be said to have suffered and died 
specially for the Christian truth ; and there- 
fore his death would have been commemorated 
in the Christian Church with less propriety than 
his birth, which is a direct and most mani- 
fest attestation to the " Author and Finisher of 
our faith." Hence it is, as observed by an an- 
cient father 1 , " that the Church goes out of her 
usual method, and pays a particular respect to 
the first setting out of this wonderful forerun- 
ner.'' And thus by keeping this festival she 
affords a perpetual comment on the declaration 
of the angel, that " many shall rejoice at his 
birth 6 ." 

The mission of John the Baptist forms the 
connecting link between the Old and New 
Testaments. The volume of prophecy, and 
therewith the volume of the Old Testament, 
was closed with two memorable predictions of 
Malachi about 400 years before the Christian 
era. 

Of these the former is contained in his third 
chapter, and runs in this wise: " Behold, I will 
send my messenger, and he shall prepare the 
way before me : and the Lord whom ye seek 
shall suddenly come to his temple, even the 
messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight 

d St. Augustin, quoted by Dean Stanhope. e Luke i. 14. 

Y 



322 There ivas a man sent from God> 

in : behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of 
hosts.'' And this prediction probably bears 
allusion, as it certainly bears resemblance, to a 
former one of Isaiah, " The voice of him that 
crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of 
the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway 
for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, 
and every mountain and hill shall be made 
low : and the crooked shall be made straight, 
and the rough places plain : and the glory of 
the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall 
see it together ; for the mouth of the Lord hath 
spoken it f :" expressions these, which have 
evident reference to a custom that prevailed in 
eastern countries, of sending messengers and 
pioneers to make the ways level and straight 
before monarchs on their progress. They lite- 
rally lowered mountains, they raised valleys, 
they cut down woods, they removed all obstacles, 
they cleared away all roughnesses and inequa- 
lities, and made straight, short, and commodious 
highways through places impassable before, for 
the great personages whom they preceded. 

The latter prediction of Malachi, just alluded 
to, or rather the latter part of the same predic- 
tion, is contained in the last verse of his last 
chapter; where, speaking again of the mes- 



f Is. xL 3—5. 



tv hose name was John, 323 



senger who should precede the Lord, he de- 
scribes him under an appellation familiar to the 
Jews; the appellation, namely, of Elijah, one 
of their greatest prophets in former times. " Be- 
hold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before 
the coming of the great and dreadful day of 
the Lord : and he shall turn the heart of the 
fathers to the children, and the heart of the 
children to their fathers, lest I come and smite 
the earth with a curse." 

Thus closes the volume of the Old Testa- 
ment. The volume of the New Testament 
opens with a history of the events, which com- 
pose the fulfilment of these predictions by the 
mission of John. 

The first words of St. Mark's Gospel, which 
commences with a narrative of the Baptist's 
office and ministry, declare the fulfilment of the 
two first predictions in his person. "The be- 
ginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son 
of God : as it is written in the prophets, Be- 
hold, I send my messenger before thy face, 
which shall prepare thy way before thee. The 
voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare 
ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 
John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach 
the baptism of repentance for the remission of 
sins." 

The approaching fulfilment of the other pre- 



324 There was a man sent from God, 

diction is declared by the angel in the first 
chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, in announcing to 
the father of the Baptist the wonderful and pre- 
ternatural birth of the promised child. " Fear 
not, Zacharias," said the heavenly messenger : 
" for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Eliza- 
beth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call 
his name John. And thou shalt have joy and 
gladness ; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 
For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, 
and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink : 
and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, 
even from his mother's womb. And many of 
the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord 
their God. And he shall go before him in the 
spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of 
the fathers to their children, and the disobe- 
dient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready 
a people prepared for the Lord." 

Several characteristick and peculiar traits, 
we may perceive, were to distinguish the child 
promised in these words by the angel. Not his 
parents alone, but many other persons likewise, 
were to " rejoice at his birth :" a circumstance, 
which marked him for a man of no common 
importance. He was to " drink neither wine 
nor strong drink :" that is, he was to be noted 
for the strictness and abstinence of his life, as 
a man set apart, like the ancient Nazarites, for 



whose name ivas John. 



325 



the service of God. He was to be " great in 
the sight of the Lord ;" he was to be " filled 
with the Holy Ghost" from his earliest years ; 
and he was to " turn many of the children of 
Israel to the Lord their God :" all of which cir- 
cumstances are of such a nature, as to give a 
high and very significant character to the man, 
in whom they should be found united. Espe- 
cially, and this is the circumstance to which 
our attention is in particular to be directed, he 
was to " go before the Lord in the spirit and 
power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers 
to the children, and the disobedient to the wis- 
dom of the just, to make ready a people pre- 
pared for the Lord." 

Here we must observe a very strong resem- 
blance between the prediction of Malachi con- 
cerning " the coming of Elijah to prepare the 
way of the Lord," and the promise of the 
angel to Zacharias concerning his son, who was 
to " go before the Lord in the spirit and power 
of Elias." Indeed that the angel spake with a 
view to the prediction of Malachi, there cannot 
be a doubt. And we shall soon see how accu- 
rately both the one and the other delineated the 
character of John the Baptist. 

Now Elias or Elijah (for the former name 
which occurs in the New Testament is the 
Greek method of writing the latter, which, as 



326 There ivas a man sent from God, 

being the Hebrew name, is retained in our 
translation of the Old Testament,) was one of 
the most celebrated of the Jewish prophets, 
and was esteemed by the Jews as inferior to no 
one but Moses. He had been raised up by 
God amongst his countrymen, when they were 
in a state of great degeneracy and corruption. 
And on a reference to his history in the books 
of Kings we find, that in the performance of 
the office, which God commissioned him to fill, 
he was conspicuous for the plainness of his 
appearance, for the severity of his manners, for 
very ardent zeal, and indefatigable activity ; 
and in particular, that, when he was persecuted 
by Ahab king of Israel for his devotion to the 
true religion, he feared not to rebuke the idola- 
trous monarch for his impiety and wickedness, 
and to assert the honour of Almighty God. 

Such was the character of Elijah : and such 
of course was the character, that was to be 
maintained by that person, who should appear 
as the forerunner of the Lord : and such was 
actually the character of John the Baptist. 
Indeed history will furnish us with examples of 
very few persons, who have resembled each 
other in so many striking particulars as Elijah 
and St. John. 

Elijah frequently lived in a state of retire- 
ment and seclusion from the world : the greatest 



tv hose name was John. 327 



part of the life of John the Baptist was passed 
in the wilderness. Elijah appears to have been 
abstinent in his food and manner of living : 
John the Baptist drank neither wine nor strong 
drink ; and " his meat was locusts and wild 
honey," such coarse and common food as the 
wilderness supplied to its meanest inhabitants. 
Elijah is described as " an hairy man," that 
is, as wearing a coarse garment of hair, with a 
girdle of leather about his loins : John the 
Baptist " had a raiment of camel's hair, with a 
leathern girdle about his loins." 

Thus did they resemble each other, even in 
their manner of living and in their personal 
appearance ; nor less in the nature of their 
ministry, and in the character of their minds. 
Elijah was distinguished by the respect and 
veneration which were manifested towards him 
above all the other prophets of his age : to the 
high estimation, which was attached to the cha- 
racter of John the Baptist, we have not only 
the testimony of the multitudes who flocked 
around him, and of Herod who put him to 
death ; but also the declaration of our Lord 
himself, that " among them that are born of 
women, there had not arisen a greater than 
John the Baptist." Elijah was inferior in per- 
formances and qualifications to none but Moses, 
the great prophet and lawgiver of the Jews : 



328 



There ivas a man sent from God, 



John the Baptist was " a prophet, and more 
than a prophet." An abundant portion of the 
Spirit rested upon Elijah: John the Baptist 
was " filled with the Holy Ghost even from his 
mother's womb." Elijah exerted himself to 
withdraw the Jews from the worship of idols to 
that of the true God : John the Baptist was no 
less earnest in persuading the descendants of 
the same Jews to forsake their sins, and pre- 
pare themselves by repentance and reformation 
for the coming of the Lord. Elijah was author- 
ized to denounce speedy vengeance from hea- 
ven upon his perverse countrymen unless they 
repented : with the same authority John the 
Baptist denounced the like vengeance upon the 
impenitent. The persecutions of Ahab could 
not quench the ardour, or stifle the rebukes, of 
Elijah : so did not any alarm at the power and 
cruelty of Herod prevent John the Baptist from 
frankly rebuking him for his crimes. Elijah 
resisted the lawless proceedings of the idola- 
trous Jezebel, and was forced to flee for his 
life from her vindictive fury : John the Baptist 
endeavoured to interrupt the unprincipled and 
incestuous career of Herodias, and paid the 
forfeit of his life to the malice of the infuriated 
queen. Circumstances, such as these, unques- 
tionably fix upon John the Baptist the prophet 
Malachi's description of " the messenger and 



w hose name was John. 



329 



forerunner of the Lord," by shewing that he 
came, not indeed in the person, hut, as the an- 
gel interpreted the prophet's language to Zacha- 
rias, 14 in the spirit and power," of Elijah. 

When indeed the Jews inquired of him, whe- 
ther he was Elias or Elijah, he answered, 44 1 am 
not g :" but this answer is not at all inconsistent 
with what has been now advanced concerning 
him, agreeably to our Lord's subsequent decla- 
ration, that he was Elias; in other words, that 
he was the person foretold by the prophet un- 
der that name and character. The Jews, mis- 
understanding the prediction of Malachi which 
foretold the coming of the Lord, and supposing 
that he was to come in power and majesty, to 
confer on the sons of Jacob dominion over the 
Gentiles, and make Jerusalem the metropolis 
of the world, expected that Elijah the Tishbite 
would in his own person return from heaven, as 
the Lord's messenger and forerunner. In an- 
swer therefore to their question, John denied 
that he was that very Elijah, whose actions are 
recorded in the books of Kings; and whom, 
according to their erroneous interpretation of 
Scripture, the Jews supposed him to be. At 
the same time by his reply to their ensuing ques- 
tion, 44 Who art thou ? What sayest thou of thy- 



* John i. 21. 



330 There was a man sent from God, 

self?" he pointed out the way to a correct in- 
terpretation of the words, and in fact asserted 
to himself the character subsequently attributed 
to him by our Lord. 44 I am," said he, 44 the 
voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make 
straight the way of the Lord, as said the pro- 
phet Esaias." The messenger of the Lord had 
been foretold by Isaiah and Malachi under dif- 
ferent appellations, but with an identity of office 
and performances. By Isaiah he had been de- 
scribed as " the Voice of him that crieth in the 
wilderness;" by Malachi, as 44 Elijah the pro- 
phet;" by both, as engaged in the same employ- 
ment of 44 preparing the way of the Lord." To 
assume one of these appellations was by con- 
sequence to assume the other : so that when 
John expressly affirmed of himself, 44 I am the 
voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make 
straight the way of the Lord, as said the pro- 
phet Esaias ;" it was in substance and effect, as 
if he had also affirmed, I am (i the messenger of 
the Lord, sent to prepare the way before him," 
as said the prophet Malachi ; the predicted Eli- 
jah, not in sameness of person indeed, as you 
erroneously expect him, but in similarity 44 of 
spirit and of power." 

In this spirit and with this power and au- 
thority did the Baptist preach to the multitudes, 
who assembled from the surrounding country 



ivhose name ivas John. 



331 



to listen to his doctrine 11 . To the different or- 
ders of men, who desired to be instructed by 
him, he gave such instructions as were best 
adapted to their several ways of life. He cau- 
tioned them against the temptations, to which 
their circumstances peculiarly exposed them ; 
and he rebuked them for the sins, by which 
they were peculiarly beset. The Pharisees and 
Sadducees he admonished of their subtlety and 
craftiness, of the malignity and mischief of their 
principles ; of the vanity of their self-sufficient 
reliance on their descent from holy Abraham, 
and of the danger of their own sinful and im- 
penitent lives. He encouraged the people to be 
careful in their attention to the great duties of 
a benevolent and charitable life ; duties, which 
he represented to be incumbent upon them, as 
well as upon the rich and great. Upon the 
publicans he charged the necessity of abstain- 
ing from exaction in the execution of the trust 
committed to them ; and upon the soldiers that 
they should be content with their legal dues, 
and not increase them by the terrors of over- 
bearing violence or of false accusations. In the 
mean time, to all in general he cried, " Repent 
ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand :" 
" Repent, and bring forth fruits worthy of re- 



h Luke iii. 7—14. 



332 



There was a man sent from God, 



pentaoce " Repent, and believe the Gospel'." 
In this manner did he turn manv of the children 
of Israel onto the Lord their God ; for " there 
went out unto him Jerusalem, and all Judea, 
and all the region round about Jordan, and 
were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their 
sins." And in this manner did he " make 
ready a people, and prepare them for the Lord," 
of whom he constantly declared that he was 
only the messenger and forerunner ; whom he 
described as far mightier and more noble than 
himself ; and for whom he endeavoured to pre- 
pare the way by " exalting the valleys and 
making the mountains low, by making the 
crooked straight and the rough places plain 
or by clearing away and removing the various 
obstructions which were likely to impede the 
progress of the Gospel, arising from the pre- 
judices and the passions, the corrupt affections, 
and the sinful habits of mankind. 

REFLEXIONS. 
Whilst these particulars may serve to con- 
vince us of the identity of John the Baptist 
with the messenger of the Lord foretold by the 
ancient prophets, they may also enable us to 
form a just estimate of his character, and withal 
of the testimony which he bore to Jesus Christ, 

i Matt. lii. 2, 8. Mark i. 15. 



tv hose name ivas John. 



333 



Let us inquire then, is he in general intitled 
to the character of a man of integrity and vera- 
city ? And we may safely answer from the 
previous observations, that he well deserves the 
reputation of a great and good man. We see in 
him austerity of life, abstinence from selfish gra- 
tifications, contempt of the pleasure and vanities 
of the world, an active yet discreet zeal, a cou- 
rage and constancy arising from true piety, and 
sincere mod esty and hu mility . We see him exhort- 
ing all men to righteousness, and living in a man- 
ner suitable to his own exhortations. He was 
appointed by God to admonish and reprove with 
all authority; and he fulfilled his office sin- 
cerely, uprightly, and fearlessly. The Pharisees 
and Sadducees, the great men of his nation, who 
came to his baptism, he flattered not: he told 
them they were sinners in need of repentance, 
and he bade them repent of their sins. To 
Herod himself he addressed the like authori- 
tative language of reproof and condemnation ; 
though he could not have been ignorant of the 
danger to which he exposed himself by telling 
disagreeable truths to an unprincipled and pow- 
erful prince. By his blameless and upright be- 
haviour he gained the respect and esteem of the 
Jews : and after his death their historian Jose- 
phus, who seems to have had no temptation to 
be partial to his memory, did justice to hischa- 



334 There ivas a man sent from God, 

racter, and recorded his virtues, and bore tes- 
timony to the impression which they made on 
the minds of the people k . 

But was he interested, let us inquire, in bear- 
ing testimony in behalf of Jesus, so that a regard 
to his own honour or advantage might have 
tempted him to depart from his usual regard to 
truth and virtue? Views of personal interest, 
we have already seen, had no effect in deterring 
him from reproving the malignity of the Pha- 
risees and Sadducees, or the licentiousness of 
Herod ; nor, we may therefore presume, would 
such views have had any effect towards in- 
ducing him to praise and exalt any one who 
did not deserve it. So far however was the 
exaltation of Jesus from contributing to Johiv's 
worldly honour or advantage, that it was 
the very cause, which led, as he knew and 
declared that it would lead, to his own de- 
pression. 

In truth had he been influenced by views of 
interest, ambition, vanity, popularity, his testi- 
mony to the character of Jesus must have com- 
pletely counteracted and defeated every project 
of such a nature. Every thing that he said of 
Jesus, instead of aggrandizing and exalting, 
tended to lower and to debase, himself in the 



k Dr. Jortin. 



whose name ivas John. 



335 



comparison. To the question of the Pharisees 
concerning himself he answered, " I am not the 
Christ : I am the voice of one crying in the wil- 
derness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as 
said the prophet Esaias." Thus he disclaimed 
all pretensions on his own part to a rivalry with 
Jesus, and represented himself as no more than 
" a voice,** a sound, whose office it was to give 
notice of his coming, and then to sink into 
silence \ 

At the same time he added, in explanation of 
the infinite distance between them, " I baptize 
with water: but there standeth one among you 
whom ye know not : he it is, w T ho coming after 
me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet 
I am not worthy to unloose :" thus indicating by 
an allusion to customs, which prevailed in the 
eastern countries, that Jesus was as much su- 
perior to himself as the greatest master to the 
meanest servant, and that he was not worthy 
to perform towards his Lord the most abject 
menial offices. 

To these words he added others, equally in- 
dicative of the superior character of the coming 
Messiah, as illustrated by the superior acts 
which he should perform : " I indeed baptize 
with water : but he shall baptize with the 

1 Bishop Home. 

I 



336 There ivas a man sent from God 3 

Holy Ghost and with fire: whose fan is in his 
hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and 
gather his wheat into the garner ; but he will 
burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire thus 
announcing the divine power, with which Jesus 
should enforce his ministry, and the judicial 
authority with which he should discriminate 
between the good and the wicked. 

By these and similar testimonies, did the 
Baptist exalt the character of Jesus to the dimi- 
nution of his own, before Jesus entered upon 
his ministry. When his ministry had com- 
menced, and was in its progress attended by 
the increase of Jesus, and the consequent abate- 
ment of John's influence, reputation, and au- 
thority, the testimony of the Baptist still con- 
tinued to be of the same nature. His disciples 
were jealous of the change, and complained to 
him of Jesus. But he repressed their jealousy : 
he appealed to his former declarations of his own 
inferiority, and of the excellence and pre-emi- 
nence of Jesus: and he repeated and re-asserted 
the same contrast between them to his ow n pre- 
judice in the strongest terms. Of their different 
conditions, he spake as the result of the divine 
will and commission. He described himself as 
only " the forerunner of the Christ:" Jesus, as 
"the Christ." He described himself as only 
" the bridegroom's friend," exulting in the bride- 



tv hose name ivas John. 



337 



groom's prosperity; Jesus, as "the bridegroom ^ 
He described his own " decrease" and the " in- 
crease" of Jesus, as alike certain and necessary. 
He described himself, as being "of the earth, 
as earthly, and speaking of the earth Jesus 
he described, as " coming from above," as 
"coming from heaven," as "being above all." 
Such particulars in the testimony of John shew 
the absurdity of supposing, that he could have 
been influenced in the bearing of his testimony 
by any regard to his own honour or advantage, 
at variance with his usual character for integrity 
and truth. 

Once more, let us inquire, whether any in* 
stance can be adduced from his history, which 
may serve to impeach his veracity? Far from 
it: but several instances may be adduced, and 
those of a very remarkable kind and of no 
slight importance, to support and establish it. 
He called Jesus " the Lamb of God, which 
taketh away the sins of the world:" by which 
words he gave it to be understood, that Jesus 
would not die a natural death, but would be 
sacrificed for the sins of men : and Jesus accord- 
ingly, we well know, was so sacrificed : " He 
was led as a lamb to the slaughter." He said 
that " he must decrease, and that Jesus must 
increase :" and accordingly we well know, that 
the authority of John gradually abated, and in 



338 There was a man sent from God, 

a short time expired with himself, whereas the 
Gospel of Jesus went on with fresh accessions 
of strength and glory, till it was established far 
and wide, and for ever. He said, that Jesus 
would baptize with the Holy Ghost, and with 
fire : and accordingly we well know, that Jesus 
did send the Holy Ghost upon his Apostles, 
and " there appeared cloven tongues, like as of 
fire, which sat upon each of them." He said, 
that " the fan of Jesus was in his hand, and he 
would throughly purge his floor, and gather 
the wheat into his garner, but burn up the chaff 
with unquenchable fire and accordingly we 
know, that Jesus did pour forth destruction 
upon the Jews attended with special mani- 
festations of favour to his faithful followers, for 
whom he appears to have provided a place of 
refuge in a neighbouring town, at that tremen- 
dous desolation of Jerusalem, which stands 
upon record an indelible emblem of the universal 
judgment, which in further pursuance of the 
Baptist's words he will execute hereafter. 

Here then are several remarkable cases, 
whereby the character of John the Baptist is 
established, not merely as a man of veracity, but 
at the same time as an inspired prophet. The 
fulfilment of these prophecies did not depend 
upon him ; or upon Jesus, humanly speaking ; 
or upon any united efforts of them both, for 



whose name ivas John. 



339 



bringing them to pass. Nor were they such 
cases, as that any man could have hazarded a 
conjecture upon them as probable events in the 
common course of nature. If then in such cases 
as these John proved himself to be, not only a 
man of veracity, but a prophet; and these cases, 
let it be observed at the same time, preclude 
every suspicion that he was an enthusiast, for 
it is not the property of enthusiasm to foretel 
future events ; then does it follow, that the rest 
of his testimony to the person and character of 
Christ demands our credit, not merely upon the 
ground of his being a man of honesty and inte- 
grity, but upon that of his being a divinely 
inspired messenger, and speaking by divine in- 
spiration, as " a man sent from God." 

In short, every circumstance, which we know 
of the life and actions of John the Baptist, tends 
to the establishment of his character beyond 
ail reasonable dispute. And if his character be 
such, as we have supposed it to be, then is his 
testimony to Jesus deserving of our implicit 
confidence ; and it is, as in manner most clear, 
so in matter most important. By that testi- 
mony we are assured, that Jesus is <fi the Son of 
God," " the only-begotten Son which is in the 
bosom of the Father;" that he " cometh from 
above, he cometh from heaven, and is above all;" 
that he is "the Lamb of God, which taketh 



340 There was a man sent from God, 

away the sins of the world that it is he 
" whom God sent," and that he "speaketh the 
words of God;" that 44 what he hath seen and 
heard, that he testifieth," and that he " hath de- 
clared" the invisible God, whom " no man hath 
seen at any time;" that God gave not to him 
" the Spirit by measure;" that " of his fulness 
have all we received that " the Father loveth 
the Son, and hath given all things into his 
hands that " his fan is in his hand, and he will 
throughly purge his floor, and gather the wheat 
into his garner, but he will burn up the chaff 
with unquenchable fire;" finally, that " he that 
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life ; and 
he that believeth not the Son shall not see life ; 
but the wrath of God abideth on him." " This 
is the record of John and it comprises, as 
we see, together with a clear and positive testi- 
mony to the truth and divine origin of our holy 
religion, express declarations concerning some 
of its most important doctrines ; such as the 
divinity of our Saviour, his pre-existence in 
heaven, his pre-eminence and other perfections, 
his atonement for the sins of men, his return 
hereafter to judgment. 

Let us willingly receive this testimony of the 
Baptist. Let us at the same time admire and 
imitate the holiness of life, by which he gave 
credit to his testimony. Let us listen likewise 



whose name was John. 



341 



to his admonition, and " repent, and bring forth 
fruits meet for repentance." And let us, after 
his example, " constantly speak the truth, 
boldly rebuke sin, and patiently suffer for the 
truth's sake." To these lessons of religious 
improvement the Church directs us in the Col- 
lect for the day. Thus shall we keep the fes- 
tival most effectually to the honour of "Almighty 
God, by whose providence his servant John 
Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to pre- 
pare the way of his Son our Saviour by the 
preaching of repentance." Thus under his 
blessing shall we take the most effectual means 
for removing every obstacle, that may impede 
our reception of him at his second coming : so 
that " every valley may be exalted, and every 
mountain and hill may be made low ;" and we 
may see with grateful adoration, and seeing may 
partake of, " the salvation of God." 

Collects. 

"Almighty God, by whose providence thy 
servant John Baptist was wonderfully born, 
and sent to prepare the way of thy Son our 
Saviour by (the) preaching of repentance; Make 
us so to follow his doctrine and holy life, that 
we may truly repent according to his preach- 
ing; and after his example constantly speak 



342 There ivas a man sent from God, 



the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently 
suffer for the truth's sake ; through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen™" 

"Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest 
nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive 
the sins of all them that are penitent; Create 
and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we 
worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging 
our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God 
of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen*!' 

" O Lord Jesu Christ, who at thy first com- 
ing didst send thy messenger to prepare thy 
way before thee ; Grant that the ministers and 
stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so pre- 
pare and make ready thy way, by turning the 
hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the 
just; that at thy second coming to judge the 
world we may be found an acceptable people 
in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the 
Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, 
world without end. Amen 0 ." 

n Collect for the Day. n Collect for Ash- Wednesday. 
0 Collect for the third Sunday in Advent. 



whose name ivas John. 



343 



Hark through the lonely waste 

By foot of man unpaced, 
" Prepare the way," a warning voice resounds ! 

" Level the opposing hill, 

The hollow valley fill, 
Make straight the crooked, smooth the rugged grounds; 
Prepare a passage, form it plain and broad, 
And through the desert make a highway for our God V 

Thine, Baptist, was the cry, 

In ages long gone by 
Heard in clear accents by the prophet's ear : 

As if 'twere thine to wait, 

And with imperial state 
Herald some eastern monarch's proud career : 
Who thus might march his host in full array, 
And speed through trackless wilds his unresisted way. 

But other task hadst thou 

Than lofty hills to bow, 
Make straight the crooked, the rough places plain. 

Thine was the harder part 

To smooth the human heart, 
The wilderness where sin had fix'd his reign ; 
To make deceit his mazy wiles forego, 
Bring down high-vaulting pride, and lay ambition low. 



344 There was a man sent from God,fyc. 



Such, Baptist, was thy care, 

That no obstruction there 
Might check the progress of the King of Kings ; 

But that a clear high way 

Might welcome the array 
Of heavenly graces which his presence brings • 
And where Repentance had prepar'd the road, 
There Faith might enter in, and Lore to man and God. 



ST. PETER. 



The first, Simon who is called Peter. Matt. x. % 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ST. PETER. 

THE birth-place and parentage of Peter, the 
Saint commemorated by the Church this day ; 
his occupation and way of life ; his first intro- 
duction to our Lord ; his intermediate mode of 
living, and opportunities of learning our Lord's 
character; his subsequent call to be, first a 
disciple, and then an apostle, of Christ; have 
been mentioned on a former occasion, in our 
biographical notice of" Andrew, Simon Peter's 
brother." On that occasion also allusion was 
made to the name of Cephas, which was be- 
stowed upon him : a name, signifying in its 
Hebrew or Syro-Chaldaick form a rock or 
stone; and thence translated into theGreek form 
of Petros, rendered familiar to us by its verna- 
cular form of Peter, and indicating that he, to 
whom it was given, should be a chief and 



346 



The firsts Simon 



powerful instrument in establishing the Gospel 
of Christ. 

Peter was married when called by our Lord 
to be a disciple, and appears to have been set- 
tled at Capernaum. Thither at least our Lord 
retired after the call; and there he entered into 
Peter's house, and graciously exercised his 
miraculous power by healing Peter's wife's mo- 
ther of a fever a . And he appears to have made 
the same house his usual residence, whenever 
he took up his abode in that city ; being pro- 
bably well pleased with the disposition and 
manners of all the members of the family, as 
well as of the two brethren, Peter and Andrew, 
who are mentioned as living there together 1 *. 

In the narratives of the gospel history St. 
Peter is a prominent character. He received 
from our Lord several marks of distinction. 
And he further rendered himself conspicuous, 
sometimes by the energy of his disposition, and 
his natural warmth and sincerity of heart, and 
sometimes by a timidity and want of con- 
stancy of mind, to which he appears to have 
been constitutionally subject, until strengthened 
by the divine grace. 

By our Lord he was admitted to several 
marks of distinguished favour. He was one of 

a Murk i. SO. b Mark i. 29. Dr. Lardner. 



ivho is called Peter. 



347 



the three Apostles, to whom our Lord gave an 
appropriate and significant appellation 0 : and 
he was one of the same three, whom our Lord 
took with him to witness the raising of Jairus^s 
daughter d ; in whose presence he was transfi- 
gured on mount Tabor*; and with whom he 
retired to pray in the garden of Gethsemane 
the night before he suffered f . This has been 
already mentioned more fully in our notice of 
St. John, who and his brother James were the 
other two, He was one of the four, St. An- 
drew and the last named were the others, to 
whom our Lord delivered his prophecy con- 
cerning the destruction of Jerusalem^: and he 
was one of the two, whom our Lord sent before 
him to prepare his last passover h . As was ob- 
served concerning St, John, his companion on 
this occasion, so also concerning this Apostle it 
may be observed, that in some cases he was 
distinguished by a token of singular honour. 
In the catalogues of the Apostles he is placed 
first, being evidently the order determined by 
our Lord himself ; an order however, as will 
hereafter be noticed, not of supremacy, but of 



c John i. 42. 
xvii. 1. Mark ix. 2. 
37. Mark xiv. 33. 
xxii, 8. 



d Matt. xix. 26. 
Luke ix. 28. 

g Mark xiii. 3. 



e Matt. 
f Matt, xx vi. 
h Luke 



348 



The first, Simon 



precedence 1 . To him our Lord made that cele- 
brated declaration, with reference to the name 
which he had given him, " Thou art Peter, and 
upon this rock I will build my Church : and 
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 
And 1 will give unto thee the keys of the 
kingdom of heavenV And to him indivi- 
dually he gave at onetime the promise, which 
at another he addressed to all the Apostles, 
" Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall 
be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt 
loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven." 
For Peter our Lord wrought a miracle, to en- 
able him to pay the tribute money 1 : and for 
Peter our Lord prayed, that in the hour of 
danger his faith might fail not m . 

Meanwhile St. Peter was frequently rendered 
conspicuous by his own warmth of tempera- 
ment, and earnestness and sincerity of disposi- 
tion. This manifested itself on occasion of the 
miracle which preceded his call to the disciple- 
ship, when " he was astonished and all that were 
with him at the draught of the fishes which they 
had taken," but he alone " fell down at Jesus* 

1 Matt. x. 1. Mark iii. 16. Luke vi. 14. k Matt, 

xvi. 17—19. 1 Matt. xvii. 24—27. m Luke 

xxii. 31, 32. 



who is called Peter. 



349 



knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sin- 
ful man, O Lord"." It was the same zeal and 
energy of mind, which prompted him, when the 
disciples, the night after the miracle of the 
loaves, saw Jesus walking on the sea, to express 
his desire, " Lord, if it be thou, bid me come 
unto thee on the water," and, in obedience to 
his bidding, to " come down out of the ship, 
and walk on the water to goto Jesus 0 :" which dic- 
tated first his unwillingness and refusal to suffer 
Jesus to wash his feet, and then his intreaty to 
him to wash not his feet only, but also his hands 
and his head p : which stimulated him to anti- 
cipate his brethren in reply to the question of 
Jesus to the twelve, ' * Will ye also go away?" 
by answering forthwith, "Lord, to whom should 
we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life**:" 
and again, in reply to another question from our 
Lord to the twelve, " Whom say ye that I am ?" 
by answering with the like expedition, " Thou 
art the Christ, the Son of the living God": 1 ' which 
animated him to meet the gracious caution of 
our Lord to his Apostles, " All ye shall be of- 
fended because of me this night," by an im- 
mediate avowal of his own individual and un- 
conquerable fidelity, " Though all men shall be 

n Luke v. 8. 0 Matt. xiv. 28—31. p John xiii. 6— LO. 
q John vi. 68. r Matt. xvi. 13. 



350 



The first, Simon 



offended because of thee, yet will I never be 
offended :" " Though I should die with thee, 
yet will I not deny thee*:" and which gave a 
temporary vigour to his actions as well as to his 
words, and inspirited him to " draw his sword" 
in the midst of the band of soldiers and officers, 
and "strike a servant of the high priest, and smite 
off his ear*." 

But this forwardness of the Apostle was ac- 
companied with a want of steadiness and firm- 
ness of conduct, the result, as it should seem, 
of a natural timidity, which required to be cor- 
rected and strengthened by the divine grace. 
Although he was eager to go down out of the 
ship, and to walk on the water to go to Jesus, 
yet " when he saw the wind boisterous, he was 
afraid ; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, 
Lord, save me." Although he was prompt in 
making confession of his faith in his Lord, and, 
when warned of his impending danger, con- 
fidently made answer, that whatever might be 
the weakness of all others, and by whatever 
perils he might be menaced, yet would he never 
be offended nor deny him ; he nevertheless, 
when put to the test, denied, and twice repeated 
his denial 0 . Although he precipitately drew 

s Matt, xxvi, 33, 35. 1 John xviii. 10. u Matt. ixvi. 
57—71. 



who is called Peter. 



351 



his sword in the garden, and used it in defence 
of his Master, and assaulted and wounded the 
high priest's servant; his resolution failed in the 
hall of the high priest's palace, he could not en- 
dure the interrogatories of the damsels, he " de- 
nied" and " denied with an oath" that he was 
with Jesus of Nazareth, and protested " with 
cursing and swearing" that he " knew not the 
man." 

It is in full accordance with the character of 
Peter, as already noticed, that when, upon this 
evidence of his weakness and inconstancy, " the 
Lord turned, and looked upon Peter, Peter re- 
membered the word of the Lord, how he had 
said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt 
deny me thrice. And Peter went out and wept 
bitterly x ." It does not appear that he re- 
turned into the high priest's house ; or that he 
followed our Lord in the succeeding stages of 
his suffering ; or that he was present at the cru- 
cifixion. " It is likely," as hath been beautifully 
observed, " that lie was under too much con- 
cern of mind to appear in publick, and that 
he chose retirement as most suitable to his pre- 
sent temper and circumstances 7 ." 

On the morning of the Resurrection, it pleased 
the goodness of God to comfort Peter in his af- 



s Luke xxii. 61, 62. Dr. Lardner. 



3g2 



The first, Simon 



ftiction, by intelligence addressed through Mary 
Magdalene to the disciples, and especially to 
Peter by name, that " Jesus was risen from the 
dead z ." Peter and John instantly hastened 
towards the sepulchre; when John, being the 
younger, " outran Peter, and came first to the 
sepulchre. And he stooping down, and look- 
ing in, saw the linen clothes lying : yet went he 
not in V Peter followed : and it is to him an 
honourable circumstance 13 , which is recorded 
by John himself, whose affection for his Master 
no one will dispute, that Peter went into the 
sepulchre, and examined the condition of the 
graveclothes, and ascertained by ocular tes- 
timony, to his own and his companion's satis- 
faction, the fact of their Lord's resurrection. 

On the same day the Lord shewed himself to 
Peter : an event, which is related by St. Luke 
and St. Paul 0 , though no circumstances of it are 
recorded. He had previously shewn himself 
to Mary Magdalene and the women. But, as 
Chrysostom observes, this was the first appear- 
ance of those which were made to men : He 
was first seen by him who was most desirous of 
seeing him. Peter, says the same writer, was 
the first that had made a signal confession of 

z Matt, xxviii. a John xx. 4 — 8. b Dr. Lardner. 

c Luke xxiv. 33, 34. 1 Cor, xv. 5. 



who is called Peter. 353 



his Master; and therefore it was fit and reason- 
able, that he should first see him alive after his 
resurrection. Chrysostom further remarks, that 
Peter had lately denied his Lord, the grief 
whereof lay hard upon him ; and that our Sa- 
viour was therefore willing to administer some 
consolation to him, and, as soon as might be, 
to let him see that he had not cast him off : like 
the kind Samaritan he made haste to help 
him, and to pour oil into his wounded con- 
science 01 . 

In the twenty- first chapter of St. John's Gos- 
pel is the narrative of a remarkable appearance 
of our Lord, in which St. Peter bore a conspi- 
cuous part and had a particular interest. When 
our Lord had shewn himself, probably in some 
unusual habit, to Peter and John and several 
others of his disciples ; and John, having dis- 
covered him by his causing a miraculous draught 
of fishes, had declared, to Peter that it was the 
Lord ; the latter immediately with affectionate 
and ready zeal " girt his fisher's coat about him, 
and cast himself into the sea" impatient to wel- 
come his divine Master. To the question after- 
wards put to him by the Lord, t; Simon, son of 
Jonas, lovest thou me more than these ?" pos- 
sibly in allusion to that superior degree of at- 



d Dr. Cave. 
A a 



354 



The first, Simon 



tachment which he had rashly boasted before his 
fall, " Though all men shall be offended because 
of thee, yet will J never be offended," he now 
answered with an humility and moderation, 
which that fall appears to have taught him, 
44 Yea, Lord, thou knowest that 1 love thee/' 
The question was put three several times to 
Peter, and each time received the like answer, 
and was each time followed by the like injunc- 
tion, " Feed my sheep." Thus did the Lord 
judge fit, that he, who by a threefold denial had 
renounced his allegiance, should by a threefold 
confession re-assert and confirm it : and thus 
did he shew that he accepted his profession of 
love, and renewed to him his apostolical com- 
mission 6 . His charge was succeeded by a pro- 
phetical warning of the manner, in which the 
Apostle should glorify God by his death ; and 
by an encouragement to follow his Lord in 
bearing undeviating testimony to the truth in 
the service to which he was appointed. 

Soon after our Lord's ascension, Peter pro- 
posed to the disciples that another Apostle 
should be chosen in the room of Judas Isca- 
riot f . On the day of Pentecost next ensuing, 
when the promised gift of the Holy Ghost had 
been shed forth, Peter standing up with the 



e Dr. Lardner. f Acts i. 15—26. 



who is called Peter. 



355 



eleven preached to the assembled multitude, 
and produced a conversion of about three thou- 
sand souls g . Soon afterwards he together with 
John healed at the beautiful gate of the temple 
a man who had been lame from his birth, and 
thereupon addressed the people with efficacy 
and success : and being brought before the 
council, and imprisoned, and threatened with 
further punishment, pleaded boldly and reso- 
lutely in the name of Jesus h . When Ananias 
and Sapphira kept back part of the price of their 
land, with a false assertion that they had given 
the whole, Peter charged them with a lying to the 
Holy Ghost," that is " to God," whereupon they 
were smitten by the hand of God with im- 
mediate death 1 . Amongst " the signs and won- 
ders, which were wrought in the midst of the 
people by the hands of the Apostles," those of 
Peter bore a distinguished place, " insomuch 
that they brought forth the sick into the streets, 
and laid them on beds and couches, that at the 
least the shadow of Peter passing by might 
overshadow some of themV And when the 
Apostles were apprehended, and brought before 
the council, and again commanded "not to teach 
in the name of Jesus," Peter and the other A po- 

g Acts ii. 14 — 47. h Acts iii. iv. ] Acts v. 1— 11. 
k Acts v. 12—16. 



356 



The fu st, Simon 



sties maintained the necessity of their bearing- 
witness to that name, asserting that they ought 
to " obey God rather than man 1 ." 

Thus far St. Peter was residing in Jerusalem. 
Soon after we find him deputed by the Apo- 
stles with St. John to visit the Church recently 
planted in Samaria by Philip the deacon, " lay- 
ing their hands upon" the newly- baptized con- 
verts ; thus confirming them by that rite, which 
has since been maintained in the Christian 
Church ; and conveying to them " the gift of 
the Holy Ghost severely rebuking Simon 
Magus for supposing that " the gift of God 
might be purchased with money and thence 
" returning to Jerusalem, and preaching the 
Gospel in many villages of the Samaritans" on 
the way ra . 

Again we find him, availing himself pro- 
bably of the rest which the Churches enjoyed 
"throughout all Judea and Galilee and Sama- 
ria," passing through all parts of the country, 
and leaving where he went some signal proof of 
the supernatural power, with which he was en- 
dued. At Lydda. iEneas, a paralytick, " who 
had kept his bed eight years," was in the name 
of Jesus made immediately whole. And at 
Joppa, Tabitha was restored to life and health, 

1 Acts v. 29. ' 111 Acts viii. 14—25. 



who is called Peter. 



357 



after she had died and was laid out tor her 
burial". 

From Joppa, in compliance with a request 
from Cornelius, a Gentile and " a centurion of 
the Italian band," and in obedience to a spe- 
cial revelation from heaven, St. Peter went to 
Caesarea by the sea-side, the city where the Ro- 
man governor had his residence. There he 
preached to Cornelius, and his kinsmen and 
near friends, so that 44 the Holy Ghost fell on all 
them that heard the word." The Apostle here- 
upon caused them to be " baptized in the name 
of the Lord 0 :" and, on his return to Jerusalem, 
his account of the supernatural circumstances 
attending that important event convinced the 
Apostles and other disciples, who were offended 
at his conduct in holding communion with men 
uncircumcised, that he had acted in conformity 
with the will of God, so that " they held their 
peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath 
God also to the Gentiles granted repentance 
unto life p ." Thus the door of faith was opened 
by Peter to the Gentile world ; and thenceforth 
the Gospel was freely and successfully preached 
to them as well as to the Jews. 

Peter probably now continued at Jerusalem, 
till his imprisonment by Herod Agrippa, who 



n Acts ix. 32—42. 



0 Acts x. p Acts xi. 18. 



358 



The first, Simon 



towards the end of his reign had become an 
open persecutor of believers. "He killed James 
the brother of John with the sword :" and Peter 
was destined to a similar fate, from which how- 
ever, the night before his intended execution, 
he was miraculously delivered. ' ' Prayer was 
made for him without ceasing of the Church 
unto God and God sent his angel to deliver 
him, whilst he with a mind composed and un- 
disturbed, notwithstanding his great extremity, 
and under the apprehension of impending death, 
" was sleeping between two soldiers, bound 
with two chains q ." 

Whither he now retired, is matter of conjec- 
ture only : nor are any particulars in his his- 
tory ascertained during the interval which pre- 
ceded the council of Jerusalem concerning the 
obligation of the Gentile converts to observe 
the Jewish law. Here St. Peter delivered his 
opinion in the negative, illustrating and con- 
firming it by a statement of what God had 
done by his ministration for the Gentiles of 
Csesarea; whence it was manifest, that they 
might be saved by faith in Jesus Christ with- 
out the ritual observances of the law. And 
the Council determined, conformably to this 
opinion, and in pursuance of the sentence of 



q Acts xii. 



who is called Peter. 



359 



James, the son of Alphseus, who, as Bishop of 
Jerusalem, presided at the Council'. 

It was upon this occasion that " James and 
Peter and John gave to Paul and Barnabas the 
right hand of fellowship/' that the two latter 
should continue to preach the Gospel to the 
heathens, and the former and the other Apo- 
stles to the Jews 9 . Peter had previously had 
personal intercourse with Paul, when Paul, 
three years after his conversion, had come up 
to Jerusalem, and had been " brought by Bar- 
nabas to the Apostles," and " saw Peter and 
abode with him fifteen days 1 ." And afterwards 
he had intercourse with him again, when Peter 
having gone to Antioch, and having at first 
conversed freely with the Gentile converts, from 
whom he subsequently withdrew and separated 
himself, fearing to displease some converts 
from the Jews, Paul " withstood him to the 
face, because he was to be blamed :" so se- 
verely reproving his dissimulation and his de- 
viation from the truth of the Gospel, and so 
forcibly urging the doctrine of " justification 
by the faith of Jesus Christ, and not by the 
works of the law/' that Peter appears to have 
acquiesced in the reproof and in the argument" : 



r Acts xv. 
Gal. i. 18. 



s Gal. ii. 6—10. 
Gal. ii. 11— -14. 



' Acts ix, 27- 



360 



The first, Simon 



and it is reasonable to suppose that be never 
more betrayed the like unsteadiness, but re- 
mained ever afterwards firm to the true prin- 
ciples of the Gospel by holding indiscriminate 
communion with the Gentile as well as with the 
Jewish converts to the Church \ 

This concludes the scriptural account of St. 
Peter. The books of the New Testament af- 
ford no light for determining where he was for 
several years afterwards : nor do any other 
books give a very distinct account of his tra- 
vels. On quitting Antioch, or after some time 
spent partly in Judea and partly at Antioch, 
he probably went into other parts of the con- 
tinent, particularly the parts which are ex- 
pressly mentioned at the beginning of his first 
Epistle. Origen, as quoted by Eusebius, says, 
" he is supposed to have preached to the Jews 
of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Bithynia, 
Cappadocia, and Asia." And it is likely that 
he resided a considerable time in those parts, 
and was well acquainted with the Christians 
there, to whom he afterwards addressed two 
Epistles?. 

On leaving these countries, it may be sup- 
posed that he went to Rome, but probably not 
till after St. Paul's first imprisonment there. 



x Dr. Lardner. 



» Ibid. 



iv/io is called Peter. 



Several of St. Paul's Epistles supply a power- 
ful argument for St. Peter's absence from Rome 
for a considerable space of time. In his Epis- 
tle to the Romans, where he salutes many bre- 
thren by name, he makes no mention of Peter. 
In his several Epistles written from Rome, he 
makes no mention of Peter. Nor is there the 
slightest intimation in any of these Epistles, 
that at the time of their being written Peter had 
ever been in that city. It is most probable 
therefore that he did not visit Rome before the 
year 63 or 64 ; which was not long before his 
death 2 . 

His death is related to have taken place by 
order of Nero, at the same time with that of 
St. Paul, in a general persecution of the Chris- 
tians, mentioned already in our biographical 
notice of the latter Apostle. The instrument 
of his martyrdom was the cross : a manner of 
death which our Lord had foretold to St. Peter, 
who in his second Epistle alludes to the pre- 
diction a . He is generally supposed to have 
been crucified with his head downwards ; 
" having himself desired that it might be in 
that manner," as Origen relates ; and saying, 
as related by Jerome, " that he was unworthy 



z Dr. Cave, Dr. Lardner. 



a 2 Pet. i. 14. 



362 



The first, Simon 



to be crucified as his Master was." It is cer- 
tain that among the Romans some persons were 
crucified in that manner, for the purpose of in- 
creasing their pain and ignominy. Neverthe- 
less some ancient writers, who speak of St. 
Peters martyrdom by crucifixion, do not take 
notice of that circumstance. The truth there- 
fore of the circumstance has been doubted. 
Allowing the truth of it however, it has been 
also supposed to have originated, rather in the 
malice of his persecutors, than in the modesty 
of the Apostle himself: a modesty, vain and 
preposterous ; not agreeable to the practice of 
any other of the martyrs, who were put to 
death upon the cross ; nor suitable to the true 
spirit of a martyr, to whom it rather belongs 
to bear with fortitude the punishment inflicted 
on him, than to seek an aggravation of torments 
from his executioners 1 ". 

Jerome states that he was buried at Rome in 
the Vatican, near the triumphal way ; adding 
that he was in veneration, as well he might be, 
all over the world. Caius, a writer of about 
the year 212, speaks of the tombs of the two 
Apostles, Peter and Paul, at Rome : and Chry- 
sostom supposes Peter to have been buried in 



h See Dr, Lardner. 



ivho is called Peter. 363 



that city c . Their monuments were to be seen 
in Eusebius's time, with their names inscribed 
upon them, in the cemeteries of that city d . 

St. Peter has been already spoken of, as a 
married man, his wife's mother having been the 
subject of one of our Lord's publick miracles. 
That he was attended by his wife on his travels, 
appears probable from a passage in St. Paul 6 : 
and it is related by Clement of Alexandria, 
that she suffered martyrdom before him ; 
" when St. Peter, seeing her led forth to death, 
rejoiced for the grace of God vouchsafed to 
him ; and calling to her by name, exhorted and 
comforted her, saying, Remember the Lord f ." 
The time and place of her martyrdom are not 
specified. Being a companion of her husband 
on his travels, she may have attended him to 
Rome, and suffered about the same time with 
him in Nero's persecution, which, as we know 
from Tacitus's account, comprehended persons 
of both sexes and of all conditions. 

St. Peter has left behind him two Epistles, 
written probably in the year 63 or 64, or at the 
latest 65, not long before the Apostle's death : 
that he was old and near his end, when he 
wrote the latter Epistle, is evident from his 

c Dr. Lardner. A Dr. Cave. c 1 Cor. ix. 5. 

f Cited by Dr. Lardner. 



364 



The Jirsty Simon 



own language, where he speaks of himself as 
" knowing, that shortly he mast put off this 
tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ had 
shewed him." 

The place of writing was probably Rome, 
signified figuratively by the name of Babylon, 
as St. John likewise uses the name in the Re- 
velation^. Some commentators have thought 
that Babylon in Assyria, and others that Ba- 
bylon in Egypt, was intended : but although 
during the long interval, in which we have no 
account of Peter, it is very possible that he 
may have travelled in Assyria or Egypt, there 
is no ancient testimony whatever of his having 
done so. A third Babylon, namely in Seleu- 
cia, has been also mentioned as the place in- 
tended ; but with little probability 11 . On the 
whole the more general opinion concurs with 
the judgment held in the time of Eusebins, the 
oldest author extant who mentions the subject, 
and with the testimony apparently cited by him 
from earlier authors, that Rome is figuratively 
intended by Babylon 1 : a name, commonly 
given at that time by his countrymen the Jews 
to Rome, and alleged to be so given by them 
even to the present time, because, as they had 
formerly been reduced to subjection by the 



Bp. Tomline. " Dr. Lardner. i Dr. Macknight. 



who is called Peter. 



:W5 



Babylonians, so bad they latterly incurred the 
like fate from the Romans k : or probably in- 
tended to signify, that Rome would resemble 
Babylon in its idolatry, and in its hostility and 
persecution towards the Church of God, and 
that it would eventually resemble Babylon in 
its utter destruction and desolation 1 . 

The first Epistle is expressly addressed, and 
the latter is understood to have been written, 
" to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, 
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia :" cer- 
tainly to the Christians of those countries • whe- 
ther to converts from Judaism or heathenism is 
disputed ; most probably to the whole body of 
Christians who resided in those regions of Asia 
Minor, whether of Jewish or Gentile extraction. 

The general design of these Epistles is to in- 
culcate upon all those, who are chosen to a pro- 
fession of the faith of the Gospel, a stedfast ad- 
herence to that faith ; and withal to practical 
virtue, to a quiet and blameless life, and to pa- 
tience and fortitude under distresses and per- 
secutions. Compared with the Epistles of the 
other Apostles, they give evident proofs of hav- 
ing proceeded from one and the same Spirit. 
Considered with a view to their own peculiar 
merits, they have been commended by different 



k Dr. Mill. 



! Dr. Macknight. 



360 



The first, Simon 



critics, as " some of the finest and most excellent 
books of the New Testament :" as " sparing in 
words, but abounding in sense :" as " distin- 
guished by the weightiness of their instructions, 
and by their great strength and majesty of man- 
ner as " perpetual monuments of a divine in- 
spiration, and of the fulfilment of the promise 
made by Christ to Peter and his brother An- 
drew, that, on their following him, he would 
' make them fishers of men' m ." The Church in 
her Collect for the day commemorates our 
Apostle, as having received from Christ " many 
excellent gifts," and as having been "earnestly 
commanded by him to feed the flock" of God. 
Of the excellence of his gifts, and of the fidelity 
with which he led the sheep of Christ to pas- 
ture, we have a never-failing proof in these 
Epistles, which must cause him to be for ever 
remembered with gratitude in the Church 
of Christ. The obligation, which the Church 
moreover owes to him on account of the Gospel 
of St. Mark, containing, as it does, the sub- 
stance of St. Peter's historical discourses, and 
written probably under the dictation, at least 
with the approbation, of the Apostle, has been 
already mentioned in our notice of that Evan- 
gelist. 

m See Bp. Tomline, Dr. Lardner, and Dr. Macknight. 



who is called Peter. 



367 



REFLEXIONS. 

The character and conduct of St. Peter, as 
exemplified in his life, set before us patterns of 
excellencies and defects, which are related with 
much simplicity and honesty by the inspired 
historians. They neither conceal the latter, out 
of any partial fondness for the Apostle, or any 
uncandid desire to do honour to their religion; 
nor do they keep back the former, as if they 
were fearful of obscuring their own characters 
by the brightness of his. It has been observed, 
that St. Matthew and St. John, the two Apostles 
who have recorded the life and ministry of our 
Saviour, have recounted more occurrences ho- 
nourable to St. Peter, than the other two Evan- 
gelists": the fact proves them to have been free 
from envy and ill-will towards him ; as the fact 
both of these and of the other Evangelists having 
recorded his fault of denying our Lord proves 
them all to have been free from irrational pre- 
possessions ; from a blind partiality towards the 
Apostle, as well as from a disingenuous wish 
to recommend their religion unduly, by with- 
holding the defects, and thus magnifying the 
character, of one of its most conspicuous pro- 
fessors and ministers. 



n Dr. Lardner. 



368 



The first, Simon 



The virtues of St. Peter deserve our admira- 
tion and imitation. Among these may be 
enumerated his lively sense of his own unvvor 
thiness testified by his exclamation on the mi 
raeulous draught of fishes, " Depart from me, 
for 1 am a sinful man, O Lord :" his ready obe- 
dience in following the call of Christ: his faith 
and zeal in desiring to go to Jesus, and casting 
himself into the sea for that purpose: his mo- 
desty and humility, expressed in his refusal to 
permit his Lord to wash his feet, and his earnest 
desire to partake in his Lord's favour, as ex- 
pressed in his subsequent exclamation, " Lord, 
not my feet only, but also my hands and my 
head his attachment to his Lord, at the 
time when "many of his disciples went back 
and walked no more with him," and when in 
reply to Christ's question to the twelve, "Will 
ye also go away ? Peter answered him, Lord, 
to whom shall we go ? thou hast the words of 
eternal life :" his noble faith in the divinity of 
our Lord, expressed both upon that and upon 
another occasion, and received by our Lord 
with a blessing, signifying the heavenly origin of 
the confession, and his own sense of its value : 
add to these his bitter repentance for the offence 
he had committed in denying his Lord ; his 
subsequent submissiveness and modesty under 
the reproof, with which his Lord received him ; 



who tv as called Peter. 



369 



and his earnestness, fortitude, and constancy 
in preaching the Gospel of his crucified and 
risen Master, undaunted by labours, stripes, 
and bonds, and imprisonment, until " he glori- 
fied God," by the same sort of death, by which 
his Lord had formerly expired. 

The defects of St. Peter are not numerous : 
and they seem to have arisen chiefly from a na- 
tural warmth of temper, which caused him not 
to weigh well the dangers and difficulties of an 
enterprise against his ability to execute it, ac- 
companied by a constitutional timidity and 
weakness, which caused him, though well-inten- 
tioned, to give way before sudden or strong 
temptation, He had the faith to walk upon the 
waves to his divine Master; but, when he saw 
the sea boisterous, his faith deserted him, and 
he became afraid. He was forward to acknow- 
ledge Jesus to be the Messiah, and declared 
himself ready to die in that profession; a de- 
claration made certainly with unbecoming con- 
fidence and presumption, as well as in ignorance 
of his own infirmity ; and yet soon after he 
thrice denied, and ratified with oaths and curses 
his denial, that he knew any thing of Jesus. 

His failings as well as his virtues are recorded 
doubtless for our admonition. Whilst his vir- 
tues may prompt us to emulation, his failings 
may warn us, " when we think we are standing, 

Bb 



370 



The first, Simon 



to take heed lest we fall to be diffident espe- 
cially of our own strength in the hour of trial, 
and to have recourse to that divine aid, without 
which our own strength will ever be ineffectual, 
by prayer "that our faith fail not and, if we 
are so unhappy as to fall, still by the power of 
divine grace to endeavour to rise again, and, 
when we are converted and brought again into 
the right way, to 61 strengthen our brethren," by 
the soundness of our principles, and the con- 
sistency of our conduct. Here the subsequent 
life and exertions of St. Peter may serve for our 
example. But here also we may derive from 
his behaviour a lesson of watchfulness and cau- 
tion even in our best condition, suggested by 
that timidity with respect to the Jewish and 
Gentile converts, and that inconstancy of be- 
haviour and practical deflexion from his own 
principles, which drew upon him the publick 
opposition, and the unanswerable reproof of 
St. Paul. 

As practical reflexions upon the actions and 
character of St. Peter the foregoing may suffice. 
The following are added with reference to his 
connexion with the other Apostles: amongst 
whom though it must have appeared from our 
notice of his life that he acted a prominent and 
a conspicuous part, yet it does not appear that 
he possessed any power or authority over them: 



who was called Peter. 



it does not appear, either that any such privilege 
was conferred upon him by our Lord, or that it 
was at any time exercised or assumed by him- 
self, or admitted by the other Apostles. 

The Church of Rome indeed asserts, that an 
unlimited supremacy was conferred by our Lord 
upon St. Peter ; as the ground upon which she 
asserts the supremacy of her own Bishop, the 
supposed successor of St. Peter in the Romish 
see. And she refers for the reason of her 
assertion to our Lord's declaration to Peter, 
when, having demanded of his Apostles in 
general " Whom say ye that I am," and having 
received from Peter in particular the answer, 
"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living 
God he replied, " Blessed art thou, Simon 
Barjona : for flesh and blood hath not revealed 
it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, 
and upon this rock I will build my church ; and 
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 
And I will give unto thee the keys of the king* 
dom of heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt bind 
on earth shall be bound in heaven : and what- 
soever thou shall loose on earth, shall be loosed 
in heaven." 

If in this promise of our Lord there was any 
privilege personal and peculiar to Peter alone, 



372 



The firsts Simon 



the promise was fulfilled once for all in the 
person of Peter ; who was the first Apostle that 
preached to the Jews immediately after the de- 
scent of the Holy Ghost; and who was, about 
eight years after, the first Apostle that preached 
to the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius at 
Csesarea. By these means the foundation of 
the universal Church of Christ, against which 
the gates of hell shall not prevail, may be said 
to have been laid in Peter : and to Peter the 
keys of the kingdom of heaven may be said to 
have been given ; for by being the first person 
who proclaimed the Gospel both to Jews and 
Gentiles, after the ascension of our Lord, he, as 
it were, was the door-keeper, who opened the 
doors of heaven to all mankind ; retaining 
them in their spiritual bondage, till he preached 
to them repentance and baptism in the name of 
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and loos- 
ing from their bondage those who were induced 
by his preaching to accept the proffered terms 
of salvation. 

Thus the promise of our Lord may have been 
peculiar and personal to St. Peter. But if it be 
understood as denoting him to be the future 
support, and governor, and dispenser of thebless- 
ings, of the Church, it then confers a privilege, 
not peculiar to Peter, but communicated to the 



who was called Peler. 373 



other Apostles also. If Peter be the rock, on 
which the Church is built, so that the gates of 
hell shall not prevail against it ; it is elsewhere 
said to be " built upon the foundation of the 
Apostles °" generally. If the giving to Peter of 
the keys of the kingdom of heaven be supposed 
to confer upon him the power of governing the 
Church ; to the Apostles in general our Lord 
declared, " I appoint unto you a kingdom, as 
my Father hath appointed unto me : that ye 
may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, 
and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of 
Israel 15 ." If the investment of Peter with au- 
thority to bind and to loose be supposed to con- 
vey to him any power of punishing or absolving 
sinners ; our blessed Lord employed the same 
form of words in an address to the Apostles in 
general, " Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye 
shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven ; 
and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be 
loosed in heaven q ." And again, when ready to 
leave the world, he tells them in less figurative 
terms, "As my Father hath sent me, even so send 
I yon. And when he had said this, he breathed 
on them and saith unto them, Receive ye the 
Holy Ghost. Whose soever sins ye remit, they 

* Eph. ii. 20. v Luke xxii. 29, 30. q Matt, xviii. 18, 



374 



The first. Simon 



are remitted unto them ; and w hose soever stag 
ye retain they are retained 

From these privileges and powers bestowed 
upon all the apostolical body it is evident, that 
our Lord did not bestow upon Peter any per- 
sonal prerogative, as supreme head and univer- 
sal pastor of the Church ; much less upon any 
others as his successors in the possession of 
such prerogative : even if he did bestow upon 
him personally the privilege of being the first 
preacher of the Gospel to mankind. But in- 
deed the confession of Peter, to the Messiah- 
ship and divinity of his Lord, has been often 
regarded, and probably has been properly re- 
garded, as the confession of the other Apostles 
likewise, of whom he, as Chrysostom says> 
"acted as the mouth*," agreeably to that na- 
tural warmth of disposition, which usually 
prompted him to take a prominent part in their 
proceedings. Updti a former occasion, when, 
upon the desertion of him by some of his dis- 
ciples, Jesus said unto the twelve, " ^ i 1 1 ye 
also go away T to the question, thus put to all 
the Apostles, Peter answered in the name of 
all, tt Lord, to whom should we go ? Thou hast 
the w r ords of eternal life. And we believe and 



r John xx, 21 — 23. 



5 Cited bv Dr. Cave. 



who was called Peter. 



375 



are sure, that thou art. that Christ, the Son of 
the living God." Upon this occasion therefore, 
when Jesus asked his Apostles, '•' Whom say ye 
that I am?" and to the question, thus put to all, 
" Peter answered, Thou art the Christ, the Son 
of the living God ;" it is but reasonable to sup- 
pose, that he spoke both the sentiments and 
in the name of all. Upon this view it is fur- 
ther no unreasonable supposition, that as Peter 
made his confession on behalf, not of himself 
only, but of the rest of the Apostles, so the pro- 
mise, which was made in consequence, was in- 
tended, not for him only, but for all, though 
expressly addressed to him in particular as the 
spokesman and leader of the company. 

But however this be, the words, if under- 
stood to be addressed personally to Peter, have 
appeared not to convey to him any power or 
authority over his brethren in the Apostolate : 
nor was such superiority at any time exercised 
or assumed by himself, or admitted by the €4her 
Apostles. 

It is true that in the Acts of the Apostles he 
is represented as a leading person amongst his 
brethren, but not to a greater degree than may 
be justly attributed to superior age, to eminent 
talents and virtues, to an ardent temperament, 
still further animated perhaps by a sense of his 
Master's kindness, and by an earnest desire to 



376 



The first, Simon 



compensate for his former delinquency by more 
intense exertions in his service : and the per- 
sonal esteem, naturally resulting from such con- 
siderations, would no doubt be heightened by 
the marks of favour which he had received from 
the Lord, especially by that precedence or pri- 
macy of order, which the Lord appears to have 
assigned him, as hath been inferred from the 
catalogues of the Apostles, and from other pas- 
sages in which mention is made of him in con- 
nexion with some others of the body by the 
Evangelists. These reasons will amply account 
for Peters being the first in proposing measures 
to the adoption of the other Apostles; for his 
taking a prominent part in their debates and 
proceedings; for his addressing the multitude, 
and answering their opponents, in their name; 
without our imagining that he regarded himself, 
or that they regarded him, as their master, pos- 
sessing any jurisdiction over them ; or as any 
more than one of their brethren, equal in office 
and authority to the rest. 

Indeed the contrary appears from several oc- 
currences, which are at variance with the no- 
tion of such superiority. " When the Apostles 
which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria 
had received the word of God, they sent unto 
them Peter and John:" thus the Apostles in 
their collective capacity shewed themselves 



ivho ivas called Peter, 



377 



superior to Peter, by sending him on this mis- 
sion, and that too in conjunction with a colleague 
who appears to have been entrusted with the 
same powers as himself*. 

Again ; when Peter, having admitted Cor- 
nelius and his company into the Church by 
baptism, was come up to Jerusalem, the Jewish 
converts " contended with him," and con- 
demned him for holding communion with Gen- 
tiles ; whilst he justified himself by " rehears- 
ing the matter from the beginning, and ex- 
pounding it by order unto them"." But surely 
they would not have presumed to dispute with 
him, and pronounce a censure upon him, had 
he been acknowledged as the supreme head of 
the Church, and the infallible judge of contro- 
versies : nor would he have patiently pleaded 
his cause before them, had he claimed such a 
prerogative ; nor have endeavoured to convince 
their understanding by his reasoning, instead of 
silencing their opposition by his authority. 

Again ; when a dissention arose at Antioch 
concerning the obligation of the Gentile con- 
verts to observe the Mosaick law, and an ap- 
peal was made on the subject to Jerusalem, 
and a council was held at Jerusalem for de- 
ciding it: Paul and Barnabas were sent for the 



£ Acts viii. 14. 



u Acts xi. 2—4. 



378 



The first, Simon 



decision not to Peter in particular, but to the 
Apostles and Elders of the Church in general ; 
and the decretory sentence was pronounced, 
not by Peter, though he as well as Paul and 
Barnabas spoke on the occasion, but by James 
the son of Alphaeus, who, as Bishop of Jeru- 
salem, presided at the meeting, even in the 
presence of Peter himself ; and the letters 
written in consequence were addressed to the 
brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch, 
Syria, and Cilicia, in the names of " the Apo- 
stles, Elders, and brethren," of Jerusalem, with- 
out any mention of Peter, who, although the 
supposed judge of this and of all other con- 
troversies, and the supposed governor of these 
and of all other Churches, with intire satisfac- 
tion acquiesced in that which pleased the 
Apostles and Elders with the whole Church j 
and appears neither to have thought nor wished 
to set up his authority, as paramount to or in- 
dependent of theirs x . 

Again; St. Paul speaks of Peter in conjunc- 
tion with two other Apostles, and recounts 
them as " James, Cephas, and John thus he 
places James first in order, probably because he 
then presided in the Church of Jerusalem, 
giving him thereby precedence over Peter; but 



* Acts xv. 



ivho was called Peter. 



379 



makes no difference among the three, whom 
he describes as " pillars" or chiefs of the 
Apostles >'. 

Again; St. Paul says that 66 the Gospel of 
the uncircumcision was committed unto him, 
as the Gospel of the circumcision was unto 
Peter 2 :" thus claiming for himself an equality 
with Peter in the several departments of their 
ministry. 

Once more; St. Paul, in the presence of 
St. Peter himself, accused him of dissimula- 
tion and of a practical departure from his 
own principles, on account of his conduct 
towards the Gentile converts, through fear of 
them which were of the circumcision. " When 
Peter was come to Antiocb," saith he, " I with- 
stood him to the face because he was to be 
blamed V Peter acquiesced in the reproof. 
But neither would St. Paul have ventured on 
such an opposition, nor would St. Peter have 
submitted to it, had not the former possessed 
equal authority, or had the latter been invested 
with supreme jurisdiction over the other Apo- 
stles and the Church at large. 

Upon the whole we perceive, that as the 
privilege of governing the Catholick or Univer- 

y Gal. ii. 9. 2 Gal. ii. 7. a Gal. ii. 11. See 

Dr. Whitby upon this and the other passages, here re- 
ferred to. 



380 



The Ju st, Simon 



sal Church of Christ was not conferred by our 
Lord upon St. Peter; so also it was not at 
any time exercised or assumed by himself, or 
admitted by the other Apostles. The con- 
trary appears from various particulars, as we 
have seen, both in their conduct and in his. 
If the Bishop of Rome would establish his 
claim to supremacy over the Church of Christ, 
he must seek the ground of it elsewhere than 
in the office and publick ministry of this great 
Apostle: at the same time we may observe 
that precedents and arguments must be sought 
elsewhere than in the domestick life of the 
same Apostle for the imposition of celibacy on 
the clergy of the Church of Rome. 

Collects, 

*' O Almighty God, who by thy Son Jesus 
Christ didst give to thy Apostle Saint Peter 
many excellent gifts, and commandedst him 
earnestly to feed thy flock ; Make, we beseech 
thee, all Bishops and Pastors diligently to 
preach thy holy word, and the people obediently 
to follow the same, that they may receive the 
crown of everlasting glory ; through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen 0 ." 

" Keep, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy 



h For the day. 



who was called Peter. 



381 



Church with thy perpetual mercy. And be- 
cause the frailty of man without thee cannot 
but fall, keep us ever by thy help from all things 
hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to 
our salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen c ." 

" O Lord, we beseech thee mercifully to 
hear our prayers, and spare all those who con- 
fess their sins unto thee ; that they, whose 
consciences by sin are accused, by thy merciful 
pardon may be absolved, through Christ our 
Lord. Amen A " 

c For the 15th Sunday after Trinity. d From the 
Commination. 



Lord, when thy Peter, weak in faith, 

By terror too severely tried, 
Fail'd in thine hour of threaten'd death, 

And thee forsook, and thee denied : 

When thrice his ear the challenge heard, 
And thrice his tongue renounced thy name, 

And each sad time the recreant word 
More loud and more impassion'd came : 

One look from thee his fault reprov'd, 
And made his slumbering conscience start; 

One look from thee, so dearly lov'd, 
Spoke daggers to his bleeding heart : 



382 



The Jirsty Simon > fyc. 



And sent him forth a prey to grief, 
Unheeded all his former fears, 

To seek in solitude relief 

From bitter and repentant tears, 

Lord, when by human frailty led, 
We pass thy gracious warning by, 

Prone as we are awry to tread, 
And thee forsake, and thee deny : 

(For well we know, to harden'd guilt 
Enslaved, thy name we boast in vain ! 

Forego thy blood to save us spilt, 

Dispute thy sovereign right to reign :) 

Grant us to feel, that still thine ear 
At distance hears each guilty speech ; 

Grant us to feel, that still from far 
Thine eye each guilty act can reach : 

Grant us to feel the keen rebuke, 

By conscience, faithful guardian, sent, 

As if we saw thy pitying look, 
When on thy frail Apostle bent. 

That pitying look ! O, may it melt 
Our hearts in penitential show'rs ! 

May Peter's grief by us be felt, 
And, O ! be his forgiveness ours ! 



ST. JAMES. 



James the son of Zebedee. Matt. iv. 21. 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ST. JAMES. 

THE Saint of this day is frequently men- 
tioned in the Gospels with reference to his 
parentage, as " James the son of Zebedee;" to 
distinguish him from the other Apostle, " James 
the son of Alphaeus," whose life we have al- 
ready considered. Partly for the like cause he 
is also called by ecclesiastical writers James 
the Great : a name of distinction however, 
which does not occur in the New Testament, 
although the epithet of " the Less" is upon one 
occasion applied by St. Mark to the son of 
Alphaeus. The ground of this distinction is 
not agreed upon by ecclesiastical writers. Dr. 
Lightfoot says, that " James, or Jacob, is com- 
monly called James the Great, in distinction 
from James the son of Alphseus, who is called 



384 



James the son of Zebedee. 



the Less, not for any dignity, or superiority of 
apostleship, that he had above the other; but 
either because this James was the elder, or be- 
cause of the singular privacy, that Christ ad- 
mitted him to with himself, as he also did 
Peter and John." That he was the elder of 
the two however is matter, of which there is 
no proof ; if indeed there be any probability of 
it. But " it is manifest, that during the time 
of our Lord's abode on this earth, Peter, and 
James and John the two sons of Zebedee, 
were the most eminent and considerable of the 
disciples. They were the most favoured, and 
were admitted by our Lord to some special 
measure of confidence and freedom 3 ." Thus 
it appears by no means improbable, that James 
acquired this distinction of the Great, as being 
more eminent among the Apostles during the 
ministry of our Lord, than his namesake the 
son of Alphseus. 

St. James was the elder brother of St. John, 
the Apostle and Evangelist, fclis parentage 
and early occupation, as likewise his call to 
the discipleship and apostleship, and the pecu- 
liar marks of attention and favour which he 
received from our Lord, have been mentioned 
in our notice of St. John. Allusion also was 



* Dr. Lardner. 



James the son of Zebedee* 



385 



there made to those transactions, in which our 
Apostle was particularly concerned : but to 
them more especial attention may be given on 
the present occasion. 

Our Lord was on his way from Galilee to 
Jerusalem, for the purpose of attending one of 
the stated Jewish feasts ; namely, that of ta- 
bernacles, or of the dedication of the temple. 

The land of Canaan or Palestine was in our 
Saviour's time divided into three principal pro- 
vinces. On the north, and at the greatest dis- 
tance from Jerusalem, was Galilee, inhabited 
formerly by the tribes of Zebulon and Naph- 
thali, and containing the celebrated cities of 
Nazareth, Bethsaida, Cana, and Capernaum ; 
mount Tabor ; and the lake of Gennesareth or 
Tiberias, called also the sea of Galilee. This 
was the principal seat of our Lord's residence, 
and the chief scene of his miracles. The 
southern division was Judea, the inheritance 
of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin: and 
containing within it Bethlehem, where our Lord 
was born, its metropolis Jerusalem, where he 
suffered, and Mount Olivet or the Mount of 
Olives hard by Jerusalem, whence he ascended 
into heaven. Hither he was accustomed to 
come upon occasion of the great feasts of the 
Jewish people. Between Galilee and Judea 
lay Samaria, so called from the city of Samaria 

c c 



386 



James the son of Zebedee; 



formerly the capital of the kingdom of the ten 
tribes; anciently inhabited by the tribes of 
Ephraim and Manasseh, and in our Saviour's 
time by a mixed people, consisting partly of 
such Jewish families as remained in the land, 
when the ten tribes were carried captive into 
Assyria by Shalmaneser, or of such as after- 
wards returned thither ; and partly of those 
idolatrous people who were transplanted thither 
by the Assyrian king. 

Between these Samaritans and the Jews 
there existed on the score of religion an in- 
veterate and deep-rooted animosity ; which 
showed itself particularly in the rival temple, 
built by the Samaritans on mount Gerizim for 
the centre of the true religion, and the place 
for the proper worship of God, as opposed to 
the temple of Jerusalem ; and in the solemn 
feasts observed by the Samaritans, in rivalry of 
those of the Jews. On his journeys from Ga- 
lilee to Jerusalem, it was necessary, as appears 
from the foregoing geographical sketch of the 
provinces, for our Lord to pass through the 
country of Samaria : and the purpose of his 
journeys being to attend the festivals celebrated 
in the temple of Jerusalem, his judgment was 
thus intimated concerning the preference due 
to the Jewish place and modes of worship 
above those of the rival Samaritans. 



James the son of Zebedee. 387 



It was in the course of one of these journeys 
that our Lord was passing through the country 
of Samaria, and " sent messengers before his 
face ; and they went and entered into a village 
of the Samaritans to make ready for himV 
His purpose of going to Jerusalem appears for 
the reasons already mentioned to have been 
regarded as an affront by the Samaritans, who 
inhospitably refused to receive and entertain 
him. This refusal excited the indignation of 
James and his brother John. They remem- 
bered, that on a particular occasion recorded in 
the Old Testament the divine power had been 
miraculously exerted for the protection of the 
prophet Elijah, and for the destruction of those 
by whom his safety was endangered 0 : and they 
inquired, "Lord, wilt thou that we command 
fire to come down from heaven and consume 
them, even as Elias did V 3 Our Lord repressed 
their indignation, and regulated their well-inten- 
tioned but ill-directed zeal by a gentle reproof, 
intimating their want of discernment in the 
application of the lessons which he had taught 
them, and the inconsistency of their proposal 
with the temper of the religion which he was 
come to establish in the world. " He turned, 
and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not 



b Luke ix. 51—56. 



c 2 Kings i. 10. 



363 



James the so?i of Zebedee. 



what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son 
of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but 
to save them." The proposal, if rashly made, 
was readily abandoned ; the rebuke was re- 
ceived with submissive silence : and the two 
Apostles with their brethren passed on quietly 
in the train of their divine Master, and " went 
to another village/ 5 

An ignorance of the proper character of their 
Lord's religion shewed itself in our Apostle 
and his brother upon another occasion, related 
in the Gospel for the day ; when, in common 
with their countrymen, possessed by high no- 
tions of the temporal grandeur of Messiah's 
kingdom, and ambitious of being admitted to 
stations of superior honour and pre-eminence 
under him, they prompted or permitted their 
mother to come before our Lord with an hum- 
ble intreaty uttered in their presence ; that he 
would " grant those her two sons to sit, the one 
on his right hand, and the other on the left, in 
his glory an intreaty, referring to the custom 
in earthly courts of giving precedence to per- 
sons of the first rank and dignity by seating 
them nearest to the person of the prince ; and 
praying in effect that her two sons might have 
the privilege of enjoying a dignity, second 
only to that of Messiah himself. 

How gentle was the rebuke of our Saviour! 



James the son of Zebedee. 389 



how kind, and at the same time how penetrat- 
ing, was his question ! Jesus, instead of reply- 
ing to the mother, turned immediately to the 
Apostles, and answered and said, "Ye know 
not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the 
cup that 1 shall drink of, and to be baptized 
with the baptism that I am baptized with V 3 
alluding to that bitter cup of suffering, of which, 
in compliance with the awful dispensation of 
the Almighty, he was about to drink, and to 
that agonizing baptism, wherewith he was 
shortly to be baptized in his own blood. 
"They say unto him, We are able they pro- 
bably perceived not the full import of the 
question; or they presumed too confidently on 
their own resolution and strength. Our Lord 
accepted this tender of their readiness to par- 
take in his sufferings ; and ratified it by a pre- 
diction of its fulfilment in their future destiny : 
at the same time referring them, upon the sub- 
ject of their intreaty, to the general rules pre- 
scribed by God for the distribution of future 
glory and happiness. " He saith unto them, 
Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be bap- 
tized with the baptism that I am baptized with; 
but to sit on my right hand and on my left, is 
not mine to give, but for whom it is prepared 
of my Father." The rest of the Apostles 
" were moved with indignation" at the request 



390 James the son of Zebedee. 



of " the two brethren but our Lord allayed 
the storm, by discoursing to them on the duty 
of humility, which characterized his kingdom, 
as contradistinguished from the exercise of 
earthly dominion and authority ; by encou- 
raging them to shew their superiority to each 
other by mutual condescension; and by setting 
before them the example of himself "the Son 
of Man," who " came not to be ministered unto, 
but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for 
many." 

The particular incidents, recorded in the 
Gospels as relating to St. James, have been 
mentioned in our notice of St. John, and need 
not be repeated. He is named as one of the 
eleven, who witnessed our Saviour's ascension, 
and afterwards partook of the effusion of the 
Holy Ghost : and he was subsequently a parti- 
cipator with the other Apostles in their labours 
and sufferings for the name of Jesus. But of 
the following passages of his life, until the 
occurrence of the event by which it was termi- 
nated, we have no certain account either from 
sacred or from ecclesiastical history. 

If, as reported by an early writer quoted by 
Jerome, he preached to the dispersed Jews, the 
persons intended must be the Jewish converts 
dispersed in Judea after the martyrdom of St. 
Stephen. For in all probability his ministry was 



James the son of Zebedee. 



391 



confined to Judea; nor is there any reason to 
suppose, rather the accounts in the Acts of the 
Apostles contradict the supposition, that any 
one of the Apostles left Judea before the death 
of St. James. The Spanish writers indeed have 
generally contended, that our Apostle planted 
the Gospel in that country : and some writers 
have alleged, that from Spain he passed into 
Britain and Ireland. But of this opinion there 
are no traces in any ancient writers of good 
credit, nor at a period earlier than the middle 
ages of the Church: and upon the whole, 
though it has long been generally cherished 
among the people of Spain, who venerate him as 
their guardian Saint, it is now for the most part 
relinquished even by Popish writers d . 

St. James was called upon, at the distance of 
not many years from the period of his Lord's 
death, to fulfil his Lord's declaration, by drink- 
ing of the cup of which he had drunk, and being 
baptized with the baptism with which he had 
been baptized. His ardent and active temper, 
intimated probably by the honourable name of 
Boanerges, or sons of thunder, conferred on him 
and his brother by their Lord, prompted him no 
doubt to be forward, active, and resolute in 



d Dr. Cave, Dr. Lardner. 



392 



James the son of Zehedee. 



bearing testimony to the truth and excellence of 
his religion, and in urging it upon the belief and 
acceptance of others. " Possibly too, he had 
with a freedom not a little offensive spoken of 
the calamities coming upon the Jewish people, if 
they did not repent and believe in Jesus, as the 
Christ ; as also John the Baptist had declared 
in his preaching, and Stephen in his e ." How- 
ever this be, he became an object for the ma- 
lice of Herod Agrippa, grandson of Herod the 
Great, the murderer of the infants at Bethlehem. 
This prince, having been made king of Judea by 
the Emperor Claudius, and being desirous of 
ingratiating himself with his new subjects, to 
whom the Christians were particularly ob- 
noxious, " stretched forth his hands to vex cer- 
tain of the Church, and killed James the brother 
of John with the sword f ." Thus fell " James 
the son of Zebedee," the first of the Apostles 
who was honoured with the crown of martyr- 
dom : cheerfully drinking of that cup, which he 
had long since told his Lord he was able to 
drink of g ; and bidding fair for obtaining in a 
higher sense, than was at first intended, his pe- 
tition of being allowed to sit on the right hand 
or on the left of Christ in his kingdom h . 



e Dr. Lardner. f Acts xii. 1. * Dr. Cave. h Dr. Lardner, 



James the son of Zebedee. 



393 



An interesting anecdote is related of him by 
Eusebius on the authority of Clement of Alex- 
andria; that, as the Apostle was led forth to the 
place of martyrdom, the soldier or officer who 
had guarded him to the tribunal, or rather his 
accuser, as Suidas expressly assures us, having 
been convinced by the wonderful courage and 
constancy of St. James during his trial, repented 
of his conduct, came and fell down at the 
Apostle's feet, and heartily intreated his forgive- 
ness. The holy man, surprised at the occur- 
rence, raised him up, embraced and kissed him, 
and said, " Peace, my son, peace be to thee, and 
the pardon of thy faults." Whereupon, in pre- 
sence of the assembled people, the penitent pub- 
lickly professed his belief in Christianity, and so 
was beheaded together with the Apostle. 

There exists a story concerning the won- 
derful translation of St. James's body into 
Spain in a ship without oars, without a pilot or 
any to steer or conduct the voyage, which was 
performed only by the reliance of the sailors on 
the merits of the Apostle whose remains they 
carried with them; and concerning the final set- 
tlement of the body in a place, which is sup- 
posed to derive its name from the event in the 
appellation of, first, "Ad Jacobum Apostolum ;'• 
thence, in after times, " Giacomo Postolo and 
thence again, in the modified form of Com- 



394 James the son of Zebedee. 



postella*. This story may be well ranked 
among the figments of romance, or rather of 
a corrupt superstition ; though there are not 
wanting those who profess to believe it, together 
with the incredible miracles reported to be per- 
formed at his tomb, where the Apostle's reliques 
are worshipped with the most solemn vene- 
ration to this day. 

REFLEXIONS. 

In reflecting upon St. James's history, our 
attention may be first directed to that effusion 
of intemperate zeal, with which the Apostle, in 
concurrence with his brother, proposed to our 
blessed Lord the question, " Lord, wilt thou 
that we command fire to come down from hea- 
ven, and consume them, even as Elias did V* 
That this question proceeded from attachment 
to their Master, and a jealousy for his honour, 
appears most probable from all the circum- 
stances of the narrative. Some indeed have 
been of opinion, that the messengers sent by our 
Lord, to prepare entertainment for him, were 
these two disciples. If so, this proposal might 
be suspected to proceed as much from resent- 
ment of an injurious treatment of themselves, 
as of their Master. But the contrary opinion 



1 Dr. Cave. 



James the son of Zebedee. 



395 



is more agreeable to the circumstances of the 
case : and it appears better to attribute the pro- 
posal of the Apostles, to a zeal well-intentioned, 
but ill-understood and ill-regulated, for their 
Master's honour. That such was the character 
of their zeal, we certainly know from the ges- 
ture and language of our Lord himself in reply ; 
for " he turned, and rebuked them, and said, 
Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 
For the Son of man is not come to destroy 
men's lives, but to save them." 

There is no quality of the mind, by which 
men, even good men, are more apt to be misled 
than zeal ; particularly zeal in religion, " zeal of 
God," as St. Paul terms it k . Where the object 
is good, the quality is of high value : " it is good 
to be zealously affected always in a good thing:" 
and beyond controversy no object can be better, 
than the promotion of God's glory, and the fur- 
therance of his religion. But it ought not to 
carry us beyond the bounds of moderation. It 
ought to be regulated by a correct knowledge 
of the nature and character of the religion, 
which we profess, and which we are desirous 
of furthering; and it ought to be brought into 
subjection to the dictates of that religion : a re- 
ligion, not furious, fiery, implacable, cruel ; but 



k Rom. x. 2. 



396 



James the son of Zebedee. 



"peaceable, gentle, easy to be intreated, full of 
mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and 
without hypocrisy 1 ." They who act for the 
furtherance of that religion in a manner incon- 
sistent with its dictates, shew, as in the case of 
the Jews, that however sincere be their "zeal 
of God," it is "not according to knowledge;" 
or, as in the case of St. James and his brother, 
that they " know not what manner of spirit they 
are of." Every deviation from the rules of 
charity and brotherly love, of gentleness and 
forbearance, of meekness and patience, which 
our Lord prescribes to his disciples, however it 
may appear to be founded on an attachment to 
htm and zeal for his service, is in truth a de- 
parture from the religion of Him, " the Son of 
man," who 44 came not to destroy men's lives, 
but to save them." 

But how gracious was the answer of our 
blessed Lord ! How full of benignity and ten- 
derness to the impatient and overheated dis- 
ciples ! How full of kindness, compassion, and 
affection for the lost race of mankind ! Whilst 
it teaches us to estimate duly the character of 
his holy religion, let it prompt us to admire the 
excellency of him who is the Author of our faith ; 
and to imitate his example, who, whether in his 

1 Jam. iii. 17. 



James the son of Zehedee. 397 

general character of the Saviour of mankind, 
or in that of the Lord and Master, may we not 
say the brother and familiar friend, of his dis- 
ciples, hath set before us a pattern of meek- 
ness and lowliness of heart ! 

The other occurrence, in which our Apostle 
was particularly concerned, may instruct us, not 
only in the spiritual nature of Christ's kingdom, 
but in the mode of procuring admission to its 
glories ; namely, a conformity to his example. 
Our Saviour was petitioned, on behalf of the 
two brethren, the sons of Zebedee, that they 
might be permitted to sit, " the one on his right 
hand, and the other on his left, in his kingdom." 
But what was his answer? " Ye know not what 
ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that 
I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the 
baptism that I am baptized with ?" Conformity 
to the example of Christ is necessary, in order 
to our being admitted to the glories of his king- 
dom. In the case of the Apostles, and in the 
primitive ages of Christianity, that conformity 
was frequently required to be shewn in an espe- 
cial manner by partaking of the sufferings which 
he himself endured in testimony of his truth. 
In some subsequent periods it has occasionally 
been required to be shewn by similar conduct. 
Sometimes however the sufferings, in which 
Christians are required to be conformed to the 



398 James the son of Zebedee. 



example of their Saviour, are not the sufferings of 
persecution, but those only which are incidental 
to our nature : sometimes such conformity is 
required, less in any intense degree of suffering, 
than in a general imitation of the example of 
holiness which he has left us, and in a patient 
foi lowing of his steps through the ordinary duties 
of a sober, righteous, and godly life. And the 
Christian, who thus endeavours to be conformed 
to the image of his Saviour, by submitting with 
devout resignation to severer trials, if in the 
good pleasure of God severer trials await him ; 
or, if not, by patient continuance in well-doing ; 
may be said to drink of his Saviours cup, and 
to be baptized with his baptism, and may cherish 
the consoling and animating hope of being ad- 
mitted to a due station in his Saviour's heavenly 
kingdom. 

The answer of the Apostles may seem to in- 
dicate a culpable degree of assurance and self- 
confidence, when in reply to their Lord's ques- 
tion, whether they were able to drink of his cup, 
and to be baptized with his baptism, they an- 
swered, " We are able." In extenuation of their 
apparent presumption it may be observed, that, 
as they were ignorant of the nature of Christ's 
kingdom, so they probably did not fully ap- 
prehend the purport of his question, and were 
ignorant of the extent of the sacrifice which 



James the son of Zebedee. 



399 



they might be called upon to undergo on 
their passage. By the grace of God however 
they were enabled to make good their under- 
taking. The name, which our Lord had be- 
stowed upon them, when he first ordained them 
to the Apostolate, surnaming them " Sons of 
thunder," was in all probability a prophetical 
intimation of the resolution and courage, with 
which they should openly and boldly de- 
clare the great truths of the Gospel, when 
fully acquainted with them. The language of 
our Lord on this occasion appears to be a 
similar intimation. 44 Ye shall drink indeed of 
my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that 
I am baptized with." He, who foretold their 
sufferings and their resolution, doubtless gave 
them grace and ability to suffer and to endure, 
to be bold and patient in his cause ; submissive 
as they were to his reproofs, when necessary to 
be inflicted on them; and willing as they at all 
times were to be instructed and guided by his 
teaching. Without the grace of Christ, pre- 
venting and assisting us, we shall not be able to 
drink of Chrises cup and to be baptized with 
his baptism : but with his grace we shall be 
able. Submission and obedience to his will, 
accompanied by constant and fervent prayer to 
the throne of grace, will procure us the ability. 
If we be faithful and obedient, and put our 



400 James the son of Zebedee. 

trust in God, " God is faithful who will not suf- 
fer us to be tempted above that we are able ; 
but will with the temptation also make a way 
to escape that we may be able to bear it m ." 

It may perhaps be thought, that the sequel 
of our Saviour's answer, " to sit on my right 
hand and on my left is not mine to give ; but 
it shall be given to them, for whom it is pre- 
pared of my Father," is hardly consistent with 
those notions, which the Scriptures continually 
give us of the dignity of the Son of God ; as 
if the distribution of rewards in his kingdom 
of glory were a prerogative peculiar to the 
Father alone, and not in any way belonging to 
the Son". 

But, if such a thought occur, it may be 
satisfied by a correct understanding of the 
passage. For the passage is to be understood, 
with particular reference to its context : the 
answer is to be considered in relation to the 
question. The application, which occasioned 
it, was a request from the mother of James 
and John, as well as from themselves, that they 
might be admitted by our Lord to a particular 
distinction in his kingdom. It supposed, as 
the ground upon which it was founded, that 
our Lord would bestow such distinctions ab- 



1 Cor. x. 13. 



n See Dean Stanhope. 



James the son of Zebedee. 



401 



solutely and arbitrarily; that he would bestow 
them from a feeling of partiality and fondness 
for his followers; that he would be moreover 
influenced in bestowing them by the impor- 
tunity of friends and suitors. This erroneous 
supposition our Lord appears to have intended 
to remove ; by answering his petitioners, that 
the distinctions, which they sought, were not 
to be distributed in such a manner, and upon 
such considerations, as they vainly imagined. 

Further it should be remarked, that the 
words " it shall be given to them," are printed in 
a different character from the rest of the pas- 
sage in our translation ; and accordingly, that 
those words are not in the original passage, but 
are added by our translators. The passage 
without these words would run literally and 
correctly thus : " to sit on my right hand and 
on my left is not mine to give, but" or except 
" for whom it is prepared of my Father:" as if 
he had said, " it is not mine to give it," as you 
suppose, by any absolute will of mine or any 
arbitrary selection of objects, by any undue 
partiality or fondness for the persons to be ad- 
mitted, or out of any undue compliance with 
the solicitations of others ; " but" it is mine to 
give it to those, " for whom it is prepared of my 
Father ;" that is, to those, who have been most 
studious to do the will of the Father as re- 

Dd 



402 



James the son of Zebedee. 



vealed by his beloved Sod, and most solicitous 
to secure his blessing. For since we are per- 
fectly assured, that "every man shall at the 
last day receive according to the things done 
in his body/' it follows that the highest blessing- 
is " prepared" for those, who shall be, by the 
most faithful exertions under the grace of God, 
the best " prepared" to receive them. 

Every Christian shall then be exalted to a 
higher degree of bliss and glory, in proportion 
as he hath drunk deeper of Christ's cup. As 
his humility, his obedience, his sufferings, his 
patience, and his meek disposition, have brought 
him to a nearer conformity with his Master, so 
shall he be considered and be placed nearer 
him in happiness on that day, when " the Lord, 
the righteous Judge, shall give a crown of righ- 
teousness unto all them that love his appear- 
ing 0 ;" and when the same Lord, even " the Son 
of man, shall come in his glory, and all the 
holy angels with him, and shall sit upon the 
throne of his glory ; and before him shall be 
gathered all nations ; and he shall separate 
them one from another : and then shall the 
King say unto the righteous, Come, ye blessed 
of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for 
you from the foundation of the world p ." The 

0 2 Tim. iv. 8. ? Matt xxv. 31—34. 



James the son of Zebedee. 



403 



previous explanation of the words, addressed 
to the Saint of this day and his brother St. 
John by our blessed Lord, may be sufficient to 
show, that no exclusion of our Lord himself was 
intended from the distribution of heavenly re- 
wards: whilst from such passages as the latter 
we may perceive, how important is the function 
which belongs to him in the conduct of such 
distribution; and what reverence is now due 
from us to Him, " at whose judgment-seat we 
must all appear" hereafter, " that every one 
may receive the things done in his body, ac- 
cording to that he hath done, whether it be good 
or bad V 

Collects, 

" Grant, O merciful God, that as thine holy 
Apostle Saint James, leaving his father and all 
that he had, without delay was obedient unto 
the calling of thy Son Jesus Christ, and fol- 
lowed him ; so we, forsaking all worldly and 
carnal affections, may be evermore ready to 
follow thy holy commandments, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen*" 

** Almighty and everlasting God, who of 
thy tender love towards mankind hast sent thy 
Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, to take upon him 



9 2 Cor v. 10, 



* Collect for the day> 



404 



J antes the son of Zebedee. 



our flesh, and to suffer death upon the cross, 
that all mankind should follow the example of 
his great humility : Mercifully grant that we 
may both follow the example of his patience, 
and also be made partakers of his resurrection, 
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen*." 

" Almighty God, give us grace that we 
may cast away the works of darkness, and put 
upon us the armour of light now in the time of 
this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ 
came to visit us in great humility : that in the 
last day, when he shall come again in his 
glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick 
and dead, we may rise to the life immortal, 
through him who liveth and reigneth with thee 
and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen*." 



3 Collect for the Sunday next before Easter, 
for the first Sunday in Advent. 



1 Collect 



James the son of Zebedee. 



405 



And couldst thou, James, to win the meed 
Of glory for his saints decreed, 

Thy Saviour's cup of sorrow taste ? 
And couldst thou bear, above thee spread, 
The waves baptismal, dark and dread, 

Which o'er thy Saviour past ? 

Thou couldst: such aid his Spirit lent ! 
The stripes, the bonds, th' imprisonment, 

The scornful look, the taunting word, 
The angry council's stern decree, 
The tyrant's rage and cruelty, 

And last the fatal sword : 

These came in turn ; and then thy death : 
O thou, to wear a martyr's wreath 

The first of all thy brotherhood ! 
First of thy Saviour's chosen train, 
Like him the cup of woe to drain, 

Like him baptiz'd in blood ! 

We dare not rend the veil aside, 

By which the All-knowing wills to hide 

The secrets of the unseen world : 
But to our vision it should seem, 
Might we without irreverence deem 

Of that dark veil unfurl'd ; 

Should seem that thou wert there to see, 
O James, O son of Zebedee, 

And he, the favour'd of your Lord, 
Martyr with thee at least in will ; 
Together throned on God's high hill 

Beside your King ador'd. 



406 James the son of Zebedee. 



For not in vain his word was given, 

That ye, who have through sufferings striven, 

For him and for his Gospel known, 
With him shall in his glory dwell, 
And judge the tribes of Israel, 

Throned by Messiah's throne. 

Nor vain the word, that whosoe'er 
Shall the Messiah's name prefer 

To houses, parents, children, wife ; 
Shall hundred-fold by Him be blest* 
Be welcomed to his Father's rest* 

And dwell in endless life. 



ST. BARTHOLOMEW. 



Bartholomew. Matt. x. 3. 
Nathanael of Cana in Galilee. John xxi. 2. 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ST. BARTHO- 
LOMEW. 

Bartholomew, the Saint of this day, 

was most evidently one of the twelve Apostles, 
for he is expressly named as such in the cata- 
logues of all the three Evangelists, who enume- 
rate them. But there is no other mention of 
him by the same name in the evangelical his- 
tory : a circumstance which applies to only one 
other of the twelve Apostles, namely, Simon 
Zelotes or the Canaanite. 

This circumstance probably gave occasion to 
the opinion, that Bartholomew is spoken of in 
the Gospels under another name. That such 
is the case with some others of the Apostles is 
matter of notoriety : thus Simon is sometimes 



408 



Bartholomew. 



called Simeon, at others Peter or Cephas; 
Judas the brother of James was also called 
Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus ; Thomas, Didymus; 
and Matthew, Levi. And amongst the Evan- 
gelists " John whose surname was Mark" is 
indiscriminately distinguished in the sacred 
history by each of these appellations. 

The other name, by which Bartholomew is 
supposed to be described, is that of Nathanael, 
whose first introduction to our Lord by Philip is 
related in the first chapter of St. John's Gos- 
pel : and it has been observed, that " as St. 
John never mentions Bartholomew in the num- 
ber of the Apostles, so the other Evangelists 
never take notice of Nathanael, probably be- 
cause they were the same person under two 
several names. And as in John Philip and 
Nathanael are joined together in their coming to 
Christ, so in the rest of the Evangelists Philip 
and Bartholomew are constantly put toge- 
ther without the least variation : for no other 
reason," as Dr. Cave conceives, " than because, 
as they were jointly called to the discipleship, 
so they are jointly reported in the Apostolical 
catalogue, as afterwards we find them joint 
companions in the writings of the Church." 
Indeed, if Bartholomew and Nathanael be not 
the same, there is no account at all of that 
Apostle: an omission however, which is not 



Nathanael of Cana m Galilee. 409 

peculiar to his case, but is common to him with 
some others of the body. 

A consideration, by which this supposition is 
rendered still more probable, is that upon a 
remarkable occasion, when our Lord after his 
resurrection 44 shewed himself again to the dis- 
ciples at the sea of Tiberias," as related by St. 
John, " there were together Simon Peter, and 
Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of 
Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and 
two other of his disciples." That by the phrase 
44 the disciples" in this passage are meant the 
Apostles, has been concluded, partly from St. 
John's observation, 44 this is now the third time 
that Jesus shewed himself to the disciples after 
he was risen from the dead," evidently pointing 
to two former appearances, when 44 the disci- 
ples" to whom he shewed himself were Apo- 
stles: and partly from the fact that the disciples 
here named were Apostles, the other two, who 
are not named, being generally understood to 
have been Andrew and Philip. Thus it ap- 
pears reasonable to suppose, that Nathanael 
also was an Apostle; and, if so, he can have 
been no one but Bartholomew. 

It has been further urged, in favour of the 
supposition concerning the identity of these two 
persons, that, if Nathanael had been no more 
than an ordinary disciple, no probable reason 



410 



Bartholomew. 



can be given, why a person so distinguished as 
he, and so eminently qualified for the Aposto- 
lical office, should not have been appointed, 
equally well with either Barsabas or Matthias, 
as a candidate to supply the place of Judas a . 

A further argument in favour of this sup- 
position is derived from the name of Bartho- 
lomaeus or Bartholomew, which does not appear 
like a proper name, any more than Bar Jona is 
the proper name of Peter, but rather imports 
his relation to some other person. Thus it may 
denote him to have been the son of Tholomaeus 
or Tholomew, Tholmai according to the ori- 
ginal form of the word ; a name, not uncommon 
among the Jews, and of which an instance is 
mentioned by the historian Josephus in his 
Antiquities 1 ': it being customary with them for 
a son thus to derive a name from his father, as 
Bar Jona, the son of Jona ; Bar Timaeus the son 
of Timaeus ; and in some cases for a person to 
be usually called by this derivative rather than 
by his proper name, as Joseph was called Bar- 
sabas 0 , and Barnabas, who however derived his 
name from a different source, was constantly so 
styled, although his right name was Joses d . 

From these considerations it appears by no 
means improbable, that St. John and the other 

a Dr. Cave. b Dr. Nieholls. c Acts i. 23. 

d Acts iv. 36. 



Natlutnael of Cana in Galilee. 411 

Evangelists, speaking respectively of Nathanaei 
and Bartholomew, intend to speakof one and the 
same person: the former describing him by his 
proper name, the others by his patronymick or 
paternal appellation. And accordingly this 
opinion, although it does not appear to have 
been held by the ancient writers of the Church, 
yet having been advanced by Rupertus, who 
wrote about the year 1130, and having been 
espoused by many learned men after him, is 
generally entertained by modern authors e . 

Of the parentage of St. Bartholomew we know 
no more than his patronymick imports ; though 
he has been sometimes represented to have been 
a Syrian of noble extraction, and to have de- 
rived his pedigree from the Ptolomies, kings of 
Egypt, upon no other ground, as it should seem, 
than the mere analogy and sound of the name f . 

He has also been supposed to have been 
skilled in the Jewish law, and even to have been 
a doctor of it: a supposition founded on the 
narrative concerning Nathanaei in St. John's first 
chapter. But indeed there appears no suffi- 
cient reason from that narrative for attributing 
to him any greater skill in the law than to 
Philip, or than to Andrew and Simon Peter : 
concerning whom may be remarked the same 



c Dr. Nicholls, Mr. Wheatley. 



f Dr. Cave. 



412 



Bartholomew. 



thing which Dr. Lardner has remarked concern- 
ing the sons of Zebedee, that 44 no doubt they, 
as the children of all pious Jews at that time, 
were well acquainted with the Scriptures of the 
Old Testament. They had read them, and had 
heard them read and explained in the syna- 
gogues. They had also been accustomed to go 
to Jerusalem at the feasts, and had discoursed 
with many upon the things of religion. They 
now were in expectation of the appearing of the 
Messiah, foretold in the law and the prophets; 
but undoubtedly were in the common prejudice 
of the nation, that it would be, in part at least, 
a worldly kingdom." 

The Scriptures do not expressly state the 
way of life of Bartholomew : though from the 
incident related concerning Nathanaei in the 
twentieth chapter of St. John's Gospel, it is pro- 
bable that, like the sons of Jona and Zebedee, 
he was a fisherman on the sea of Galilee. The 
particulars of his being first brought to the 
knowledge and presence of Jesus are recorded 
by the same Apostle and Evangelist in his first 
chapter. On being apprized by Philip, 44 We 
have found him, of whom Moses in the law, 
and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, 
the son of Joseph," he met the intelligence with 
an objection, founded, as it should appear, on 
the bad character of Nazareth, as well as on 



Nathanael of Cana in Galilee. 413 



his knowledge from the Prophets that Christ 
should be born at Bethlehem, and he said, 
" Can there any good thing come out of Naza- 
reth?" Nevertheless he readily complied with 
the invitation of Philip to satisfy himself by 
his own personal inspection and inquiries. On 
his approach, our Lord saluted him with this 
honourable character, " Behold an Israelite in- 
deed, in whom is no guile!" Surprised by this 
compellation from one, who was a stranger to 
him, he expressed his astonishment; and re- 
ceived such an answer as convinced him of the 
real character of Jesus, who, under the simple 
observation recorded by the Evangelist, " Be- 
fore that Philip called thee, when thou wast 
under the fig4ree, I saw thee," probably con- 
veyed to the inquirer some indication of a 
more than human knowledge and of a divine 
nature; and he accordingly exclaimed, " Rabbi, 
thou art the Son of God ; thou art the King 
of Israel." Our Lord received this acknow- 
ledgment of his conviction with an assurance, 
that, whatever proofs of his superhuman know- 
ledge and character he had now commu- 
nicated to his new disciple, he would in the 
sequel communicate greater and still more 
convincing proofs ; no less than if he should 
see heaven open, and the angels of God 
ascending and descending upon the Son of 



414 



Bartholomew. 



man:" an assurance, which the disciple no 
doubt saw fully accomplished in his subsequent 
attendance upon his Lord. 

Of any particulars concerning St. Bartho- 
lomew, derived from the sacred history, except 
such as have been already specified, we know 
nothing, with the sole addition of his being 
mentioned by St. Luke as one of the witnesses 
of our Lord's ascension, and with the rest a 
partaker of the miraculous effusion of the Holy 
Spirit. After the dispersion of the Apostles, 
his ministry is said to have been exercised in 
India, Lycaonia, and the greater Armenia ; but 
in what order he visited these several countries, 
is not agreed, 

The evidence of his having been in India is 
derived from the historian Eusebins : who re- 
lates, that towards the end of the second cen- 
tury Pantaenus of Alexandria, a man cele- 
brated for his knowledge of philosophy, espe- 
cially of the institutions of the Stoicks, but much 
more for his hearty affection to Christianity, 
having been led by his zeal for the propagation 
of the Gospel into the East as far as India, he 
there found some knowledge yet retained of 
Christ ; and together with it a copy of St. 
Matthew's Gospel in Hebrew, which according 
to tradition had been left there by St. Bartho- 
lomew, one of the twelve Apostles, when he 



Nathanael of Cana in Galilee. 415 

preached the Gospel to the eastern nations, and 
had been preserved with great care as an invalu- 
able treasure. This India is by Jerome called 
"the Fortunate:" and by Socrates, the ecclesi- 
astical historian, is distinguished as the 44 India 
bordering on Ethiopia:" " meaning no doubt," 
says Dr. Cave, 44 the Asian Ethiopia, conter- 
minous to, if not the same as, Chaldaea." He 
adds, that, in the distribution of the world 
among the Apostles, this part fell to the lot of 
St. Bartholomew, and some writers assert, that 
he came at last to this country, and there finished 
his course. 

Chrysostom informs us, that he instructed 
the Lycaonians, and trained them up in the 
Christian discipline. He is also said to have 
been engaged with Philip at Hierapoiis in 
Phrygia, in convincing the people of the folly 
of their idolatrous practices, and in leading 
them to the knowledge of the Gospel ; and to 
have narrowly escaped martyrdom, to which, 
in company with his brother Apostle, he had 
been devoted by the enraged magistrates. 

Similar exertions and similar dangers are 
attributed to him in the greater Armenia. St. 
Jerome expressly asserts, that he died and was 
buried at AlbanopoSis, a city in that country ; 
having cheerfully undergone a sentence of cru- 
cifixion from the governor, and comforting and 



416 



Bartholomew. 



confirming the Gentile converts to the last mi- 
nute of his life. By some writers it has been 
added, that he was crucified with his head 
downwards: by others, that he was flayed alive 
before crucifixion. These indeed are more mo- 
dern accounts, and should seem therefore to be 
less worthy of credit. That crucifixion how- 
ever in that posture, for the aggravation of the 
torture, was sometimes practised, we have al- 
ready had occasion to remark in our notice of 
St. Peter: and with respect to the other prac- 
tice, Dr. Cave has observed, " the previous 
taking off of the skin might well enough consist 
with his crucifixion, excoriation being a punish- 
ment in use not only in Egypt, but amongst the 
Persians, next neighbours to these Armenians, 
as the Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus 
assures us ; and Plutarch in his life of Arta- 
xerxes records a particular instance of Mesa- 
bates, the Persian eunuch, beingfirst flayed alive, 
and then crucified." 

To the stories of the removal of his body 
after death, first to Daras, a city on the bor- 
ders of Phrygia, then to Lipari, one of the 
iEolian islands, thence to Beneventum in Italy, 
and thence finally to Rome, we may well judge 
that little credit is due: nor is any due to a 
fabulous Gospel, which was forged under his 
name, but which has been justly branded as apo- 



■ 



Nathanael of Carta in Galilee. 417 



cryphal, unworthy the name and patronage of 
an Apostle. 

REFLEXIONS. 

Our reflexions on the Saint of this day will 
proceed on the supposition, the validity of which 
has been already examined, of the identity of 
Bartholomew and Nathanael, who is offered 
to our notice under the honourable character 
assigned to him by our Lord, " Behold an 
Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. n 

As 44 an Israelite indeed" he appears before 
us in the light of one, who did not value him- 
self on those external privileges, of which he 
and his countrymen were possessed ; on his de- 
scent from Abraham the father of the faithful, 
and on his participation of the rite of circum- 
cision, which intitled him to the privileges of the 
Jewish covenant: but he is to be regarded as 
having rather followed the lively faith, and as 
having done the works, of Abraham ; and as 
having sought that inward holiness, of which 
circumcision and the other rites of the Jewish 
Church were figures ; according to that plain 
exposition of St. Paul in his Epistle to the Ro- 
mans, 44 He is not a Jew, which is one out- 
wardly ; neither is that circumcision, which is 
outward in the flesh : but he is a Jew, which is 
one inwardly ; and circumcision is that of the 

e e 



418 



Bartholomew. 



neart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose 
praise is not of men, but of Gods." And ac- 
cordingly from this particular of his character 
we may be admonished, that he, who would 
bear the character of a Christian indeed y must 
not be contented with merely calling himself 
a Christian; or with having been admitted into 
the family of Christ, and having partaken of 
the sacrament of baptism : but must remember, 
that when he was " received into the congrega- 
tion of Christ's flock'* he was "signed with the 
sign of the cross, in token that thereafter he 
should not be ashamed to confess the faith of 
Christ crucified, and manfully to fight under 
his banner, against sin, the world, and the devil, 
and to continue Christ's faithful soldier and 
servant unto his life's end and must further 
" remember always," as the Church hath failed 
not to admonish him, "that Baptism doth re- 
present unto us our profession, which is, to fol- 
low the example of our Saviour Christ, and to 
be made like unto him ; that, as he died and 
rose again for us, so should we, who are bap- 
tized, die from sin, and rise again unto righteous- 
ness, continually mortifying all our evil and 
corrupt affections, and daily proceeding in all 
virtue and godliness of living." Without bear- 



* Rom, ii. 28.. 2& 



Nathanael of Carta in Galilee. 419 

ing these things in mind, and without acting 
consistently on this persuasion, the Christian, 
whatever he may call and esteem himself, can- 
not be properly considered "aChristian indeed." 

It was another feature in our Apostle's cha- 
racter, that " in him was no guile:" that he 
possessed a heart, to which deceit and fraud 
were strangers, and which was occupied on the 
contrary by sincerity and truth; and that his be- 
haviour was accordingly exempt from hypocrisy 
and dissimulation, and marked by ingenuous- 
ness, frankness, and simplicity. What a charac- 
ter to have received from him who " trieth the 
heart;" and of whom one of his Apostles has 
thought it worthy to be mentioned as a memo- 
rable quality even in his blameless character, 
that, as " he did no sin," so " there was no 
guile found in his mouth' 1 ." Such an ingredient 
was necessary in the formation of the character 
of "an Israelite indeed." " Truly," saith the 
Psalmist, " God is loving unto Israel, even 
unto such as are of a clean heart." And can 
one be" a Christian indeed" without it? Surely 
not, unless we have been in vain admonished to 
let our "love be without dissimulation;" and 
to imitate the example, and follow the steps, of 
him " in whose mouth was no guile." 



h 1 Pet. ii. 22 



420 



Bartholomew. 



The guilelessness of NathanaePs character 
shewed itself in his communication with Philip, 
who announced to him the discovery of 44 him, 
of whom Moses in the law, and the Prophets, 
did write," in the person of 44 Jesus of Nazareth, 
the Son of Joseph." Speaking under the in- 
fluence of a prepossession, which appears to 
have been by no means peculiar to himself, but 
to have been partaken by him in common with 
others of his nation, Nathanael demanded " Can 
any good thing come out of Nazareth V 9 But 
he nevertheless made no hesitation in comply- 
ing with Philip's invitation to satisfy himself by 
his own personal inspection and inquiry ; and 
the result was that, which will generally ensue, 
when simplicity and sincerity are applied to the 
investigation of divine truth ; namely, a con- 
fession from the inquirer, that he was convinced 
of the sufficiency of the pretensions of Jesus. 
For Jesus having by his conversation given him 
reason to be satisfied of the truth of his preten- 
sions, 44 Nathanael answered and said unto him, 
Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the 
King of Israel." 

Previously to a careful investigation of di- 
vine truth, prepossessions may have occupied 
our minds, and indisposed us for their recep- 
tion. Such prepossessions may stand in the 
way of our believing the divine claims of our 



Nathanael of Cana in Galilee. 421 

holy religion : they may stand in the way of 
our believing aright. Before a careful and im- 
partial investigation, under the blessing of 
divine grace, such objections will in all proba- 
bility vanish : and we shall become believers, 
true believers, in the Gospel of our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ. But in order to such a 
desirable consummation guilelessness of heart 
and mind is one of the most essential qualifica- 
tions. Such a qualification will make us will- 
ing to believe: it will incline us to receive the 
truth, and to admit all reasonable evidence in 
its support: and it will render us disinclined 
for the crooked artifices of sophistry, by which 
the progress of truth is wont to be impeded. 
And so we may be induced to believe, and to 
believe as we ought to do: to acknowledge 
with Philip, that " Jesus of Nazareth is he, of 
whom Moses in the Law, and the Prophets, did 
write and to address ourselves to the same 
Jesus in the language of Nathanael, " Rabbi, 
thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of 
Israel." 

It will not be taking us much out of our way, 
and it will be affording an useful and pleasing 
instance of the effect of such a candid examin- 
ation into the truth of our holy religion, if we 
remark upon the history of a distinguished 
character, a nobleman of high political station 



422 



Bartholomew* 



and eminent literary attainments, who had at 
one period of his life a very unsettled belief in 
revealed religion; but, having devoted his 
mind to the subject with seriousness and can- 
dour, rose from the inquiry with a judgment 
convinced and satisfied. Of this person it is 
related by his biographer, Dr. Johnson, that 
he had, in the pride of juvenile confidence, 
with the help of corrupt conversation, enter- 
tained doubts of the truth of Christianity ; but 
he thought the time now come, when it was no 
longer fit to doubt or believe by chance, and 
applied himself seriously to the great question. 
His studies, being honest, ended in conviction. 
He found that religion was true; and what 
he had learned he endeavoured to teach by 
' Observations on the conversion and Apostle- 
ship of St. Paul ;' a treatise, to which infidelity 
has never been able to fabricate a specious an- 
swer." To this fact the noble person himself 
bore the most delightful testimony at the close 
of life in conversation with a confidential 
friend : <£ When 1 first set out in life," said he, 
" I had friends who endeavoured to shake my 
belief in the Christian religion. I saw diffi- 
culties which staggered me, but I kept my 
mind open to conviction. The evidences and 
doctrines of Christianity, studied with attention, 
made me a most firm and persuaded believer 



Nathanael of Cana in Galilee. 423 

of the Christian religion. I have made it the 
rule of my life, and it is the ground of my 
future hopes." 

We return to the case of Nathanael, and we 
observe, that as the character, attributed to him 
by our Lord, may be our example in the inves- 
tigation of divine truth, so the promise made 
to him by the same high authority may be our 
encouragement. " Jesus answered and said 
unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee 
under the fig-tree, believest thou ? thou shalt 
see greater things than these. And he saith 
unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Here- 
after ye shall see heaven open, and the angels 
of God ascending and descending upon the 
Son of man." 

The promise was fulfilled, even in its literal 
meaning, by those visible ministrations of ce- 
lestial visitants, which occasionally attested to 
the disciples the divine mission of their Lord. 
More generally, perhaps, by the testimonies of 
divine power which attended him, indepen- 
dently of any special visible interposition of 
the heavenly messengers. At all events the 
faith of Nathanael was rewarded by his being- 
admitted to fuller proofs of the Messiahship, 
the sovereignty, and the divinity of Jesus. To 
those portions of divine knowledge, which we 
possess, we may cherish the hope, that, pro- 



424 Bartholomew. 



vided we duly entertain them, continual acces- 
sions will be made. Even in this life we may 
trust, that our faith, being duly encouraged, 
will become clearer and stronger; till it receive 
its final consummation in that future state, 
when " the things now hoped for" shall be 
realised in enjoyment ; and " the things now 
not seen," otherwise than by the evidence of 
faith, shall be rendered visible in the presence 
of our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Sancti- 
fier, one God, blessed for evermore. Amen. 

Collects. 

" O Almighty and everlasting God, who 
didst give to thine Apostle Bartholomew grace 
truly to believe and to preach thy word ; Grant, 
we beseech thee, unto thy Church to love that 
word which he believed, and both to preach 
and receive the same, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen 1 " 

" Almighty God, who hast given us thy 
only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, 
and to be born of a pure Virgin ; Grant that we 
being regenerate, and made thy children by 
adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by 
thy Holy Spirit, through the same our Lord 
Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee 



1 Collect for the day. 



Nathanael of Cana in Galilee. 425 



and the same Spirit, one God, world without 
end. Amen*." 

" Almighty Father, who hast given thine 
only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again 
for our justification ; Grant us so to put away 
the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we 
may alway serve thee in pureness of living and 
truth, through the merits of the same thy Son 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen 1 ." 

k Collect for Christmas day. i Collect for the First 

Sunday after Easter. 



" Behold, in whom no guile I find. 

An Israelite indeed!" 
Nathanael, thus thy virtuous mind 

Did Israel's sovereign read. 

His eyes the heart and reins explore ; 

He sees each secret wile : 
He scann'd thy inmost bosom o'er, 

And spoke thee free from guile. 

A guiless heart ! what fairer scene 

In all this world below, 
Does nature's loveliness contain, 

Or God's creation shew ? 



426 



Bartholomew. 



Fair are the snow-wreaths, that infold 
Yon Alpine mountain's head; 

Fair is the stream, all crystal, roll'd 
Clear o'er its pebbly bed ; 

Fair is the star of evening bright, 
A gem in heaven's blue zone ; 

And fair the moonlight's robe of white, 
O'er earth's green surface thrown : 

But Alpine snow, nor crystal stream, 

Can pure delight impart, 
Nor moon, nor evening planet's gleam, 

To match the guileless heart. 

For these material works of God 

Of Him memorials stand, 
And tell the Maker's power abroad, 

The wonders of his hand: 

But guileless truth and innocence, 

By God to men consign'd, 
Reflect his moral excellence, 

An image of his mind. 



ST. MATTHEW. 



Matthew the publican. Matt. x. S. 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ST. MATTHEW. 

The Saint, who is the subject of the Church's 
commemoration this day, is distinguished from 
his brethren in the apostleship by two re- 
markable circumstances : by the situation, 
which he occupied previously to his becom- 
ing a follower of our Lord, a situation pe- 
culiar to himself alone ; and by the union, 
which he exemplifies in his own person, of the 
office of an evangelist or recorder in writing 
of the Gospel of our Lord, with that of an 
Apostle or primitive preacher of the Gospel ; 
an union which he participates with only one 
other of the Apostles of our Lord. By which 
latter character, namely, that of uniting in his 
own person the functions of an Apostle and an 
Evangelist, he is distinguished likewise from 
the other Evangelists, St. Mark and St. Luke. 



428 



Matthew the Publican. 



The passages in the sacred history, which make 
mention of St. Matthew, are not numerous ; 
and of course the particulars recorded of him 
are few, though important. He is first offered 
to our notice as a publican, or toll-gatherer, 
under the Romans, " sitting at the receipt of 
custom a ," or probably in the place appropriated 
for the receipt of it; and thus occupied in the 
business of his office, which " seems more par- 
ticularly to have consisted in gathering the cus- 
toms of commodities that came by the sea of 
Galilee, and the tribute which passengers were 
to pay that went by water b ." The name, by 
which he describes himself in his history of this 
occurrence, and by which he is now universally 
known in the Christian Church, as well as the 
name of Levi, by which he is denominated in 
the parallel portions of St. Mark^s and St. 
Luke's Gospels 0 ; (for we may take it for granted } 
although it has not been altogether free from 
question, that the same individual is intended in 
these several narratives ;) the two names then 
of Matthew and of Levi shew, that he was 
purely of Jewish extraction and origin, an He- 
brew of the Hebrews, although a Roman officer d ; 
and therefore not invested with that office 

"Matt. ix. 9. b Dr. Cave. c Mark ii. 14. Luke v. 27. 
d Dr. Cave. " 



Matthew the Publican. 



490 



of honourable reputation and superior power 
and credit, the holder of which was also called 
" a publican," and which was not commonly 
bestowed upon any person of a degree lower 
than that of a Roman knight; but that he was 
employed in that inferior and less reputable 
station, to which native Jews were appointed by 
the superior Roman officers, in the quality of 
their deputies and servants, as persons best 
skilled in the usages, and best fitted to manage 
the affairs, of their own country e . Occupied in 
the business of this his office, " Matthew the 
publican" was remarked by our blessed Lord, 
as he passed by the way, who said unto him, 
" Follow me : and he arose, and left all," as is 
added in St. Luke's narrative, 6k and followed 
him." 

The next particular recorded of Matthew is 
his entertainment of our Saviour at a feast, 
together with a great company of publicans and 
others f , probably our new convert's former 
associates ; who now appear to have been in- 
vited or admitted to the feast, to do honour 
probably to Jesus, to testify his own gratitude 
for the spiritual blessing which had been con- 
ferred upon him, and to afford his companions 



c Dr. Nicholls. 



f Luke v. 29. 



430 



Matthew the Publican. 



a convenient opportunity of profiting by the 
conversation and instruction of our Lord. It is 
of no great importance to inquire minutely on 
such an occasion as the present, whether this 
entertainment was given immediately upon the 
Apostles call, or after some considerable in- 
terval : though indeed it appears most probable, 
that the narrative, which insues, both in the 
Gospel of St. Matthew and in those of the other 
two Evangelists who relate it, immediately upon 
the narrative of the call, refers to an occurrence 
which took place not till some weeks or some 
months after ?. It is of more importance for us 
to observe, that the entertainment, whenever it 
took place, afforded a fit occasion for our 
blessed Lord to manifest his wisdom and his 
goodness ; to rebuke the malicious censures of 
the Pharisees, who were offended and mur- 
mured at his being found in such company ; and 
to justify himself for extending his gracious in- 
vitations to repentance, and his merciful proffers 
of spiritual health, to those hated and despised 
persons, whom their brother publican Matthew 
was now the instrument of presenting to their 
Saviour. - 

It is somewhat remarkable, that St. Matthew, 



1 Dr. Doddridge. 



Matthew the Publican. 431 



who in the order of narration is the fifth or sixth 
of those Apostles, whose call is particularly 
related, is also the last of those who are so dis- 
tinguished : the only Apostles, whose call is 
related before his, being Peter and Andrew, and 
the two sons of Zebedee, and perhaps Philip 
also ; and no other call being related after his. 
It has, probably for that reason, been observed, 
that at the time of his call " only one room in the 
number of the Apostles was left void for a 
future occupant 11 ;" and that " St. Matthew was 
the last called But there appears no au- 
thority for the observation : besides, there may 
have been opportunities for calling others in the 
interval between the calling of Matthew and the 
sending forth of the twelve, as well as in the pe- 
riod previous to the former of these two events : 
and perhaps it might as reasonably be inferred, 
that the call of Matthew took place the seventh 
or eighth in order of the twelve, from the circum- 
stance of his name occupying those places in the 
catalogues of the intire number, the seventh in 
the enumeration of St. Mark and St. Luke, the 
eighth in his own enumeration. But, however 
this be, it is certain that Matthew, whenever se- 
lected, was one of those twelve, whom our Lord 
" chose and ordained and named Apostles," 



h Bp. Hall. Dt. Nicholls. 



432 



Matthew the Publican. 



Si that they should be with him, and that he 
might send them forth to preach ; w and whom 
he accordingly did " send forth, and com- 
manded them to preach the kingdom of God," 
and gave them power and commission to " heal 
the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast 
out devils V 

Thus ordained an Apostle, St. Matthew no 
doubt continued to act with his brethren in the 
Apostolate, and to take his part in the several 
transactions recorded of them in the sequel of 
the Gospel history ; though there is no express 
mention made of him in any subsequent portion 
of the Gospels, and he is only once mentioned 
in the Acts of the Apostles, namely, in the 
commencement of the book, where the eleven 
are enumerated as assembled together after our 
Lord's ascension. But, although not subse- 
quently mentioned, there can be no doubt from 
the same sacred record that he continued to 
preach the Gospel for a considerable period in 
company with the other Apostles in Jerusalem 
and Judea ; bearing his testimony in common 
with theirs to the resurrection of Jesus ; and con- 
firming his testimony by the shame and perse- 
cution which he gladly suffered together with 
them for the name of Jesus, and by the miracles, 



k Matt. x. 8. Mark iii. 14. Luke vi. 13. 



Matthew the Publican. 



433 



which God enabled him to perform in that 
holy name. 

The time of his continuance amongst his own 
countrymen has been variously stated ; the 
opinions fluctuating from as early a date as the 
eighth, to as late an one as the seventeenth or 
eighteenth, year after our Lord's ascension, or 
even to a later period 1 . In the general disper- 
sion of the Apostles over the different regions 
of the earth, it is agreed that St. Matthew par- 
took of the same lot with his brethren: but what 
province was specially assigned to him, and 
where or when or how he terminated his min- 
istry and his life, are questions by no means 
clear. Parthia and Ethiopia are mentioned with 
the greatest probability as the scenes of his 
apostolical labours ; and each of these coun- 
tries has been particularised as the scene of his 
death. Of accounts, thus at variance with each 
other, uncertainty is the obvious consequence. 

The same consequence results from the tra- 
ditions concerning the character of his death : 
for whilst by some authors he is represented to 
have suffered martyrdom, but by what kind of 
death they signify to be altogether uncertain, by 
others again he is supposed to have died a na- 
tural death. For the former opinion Socrates, 

1 Dr. Cave, Dean Stanhope, Dr. Lardner, 
Ff 



434 



Matthew the Publican, 



an ecclesiastical historian of the fourth century, 
appears to be the best authority m . On the other 
hand, as a writer of great industry and research 
has remarked, " Heracleon, a learned Valen- 
tinian in the second century, as cited by Cle- 
ment of Alexandria, reckons Matthew among 
those Apostles, who did not die by martyrdom : 
nor does Clement contradict him. It is also 
observable, that Chrysostom has a commend- 
ation of Matthew, consisting of divers articles : 
his humility ; mercifulness or liberality ; piety; 
general benevolence ; writing a gospel ; finally, 
fortitude, inasmuch as * he came from the pre- 
sence of the council rejoicing \ referring, we 
may suppose, to the end of the fifth chapter of 
the Acts ; but he says nothing of his martyrdom. 
Which," adds Dr. Larclner, " may induce us to 
think, that there was not any tradition about it 
among Christians at that time, or that it was not 
much regarded." 

With respect to the Gospel of St. Matthew 
also, considerable difference of opinion has 
prevailed; not as to its genuineness and authen- 
ticity, but as to its date and its original lan- 
guage : as to its date, whether it was written as 
early as the 38th or as late as the 64th year of 
the Christian era, that is, whether about eight 



Bp. Tomline. 



Matthew the Publican. 



435 



or twenty-six years after our Lord's ascension ; 
or, it may be, at some intervening period' 1 : and 
as to its language, whether it was originally 
written in Hebrew or in Greek ; and, if in the 
former language, by whom it was translated 
into the latter. 

» The decision of the first of these questions 
appears to be connected with that of one, to 
which allusion was lately made ; namely, St. 
Matthew's departure from Judea on the general 
dispersion of the Apostles into the different 
regions of the world : for many ancient Chris- 
tian writers have related, that our Apostle, 
" having preached for some time in Judea, was 
requested by the believers there to leave with 
them in writing, before he went away, a history 
of what he had taught by word of mouth:" and 
his Gospel was the consequence of that request. 
The most reasonable supposition on this point 
appears to be, that the writing of it was not 
postponed till a very late period after our Lord's 
ascension 0 ; there being evident occasion for 
an early written account of our Lord's life and 
ministry, (and of the four Gospels St. Matthew's 
is the earliest ;) and that, for which there was 
occasion, not being likely to be long withheld : 
a supposition this, not contradicted by positive 



" Dr, Townson, Dr. Lardner. 



° Bp. Tomline. 



436 



Matthew the Publican. 



external evidence p, nor at variance with, but 
rather supported by, internal evidence supplied 
by the Gospel itself' 1 . 

As to the original language of the Gospel; in 
the judgment of some learned writers it has been 
held to have been Hebrew, agreeably to the 
general testimony of ecclesiastical antiquity, 
which in a matter of fact is a consideration of 
prime importance ; and agreeably also to the 
supposed purpose, for which it was primarily 
written ; namely that of giving information to 
persons of the Jewish nation ; a purpose, which 
is supposed to have been in the particular con- 
templation of the writer, from the abundant 
references which his Gospel contains to matters 
most familiar to the minds, and most interest- 
ing to the feelings, of the Jews r . But who was 
the translator of it into Greek, is even accord- 
ing to those who hold this judgment extremely 
doubtful 8 ; although there have not been want- 
ing some, who have attributed the translation, 
perhaps with no great appearance of reason, to 
so high an authority as that of St. John or St. 
James the Less. 

On the contrary in the judgment of other 
learned men it has been held, that the Gospel 

p Dr. Doddridge. * Dr. Townson. r Bishop Tomline, 
5 Dr. Lardner. 



Matthew the Publican. 



437 



of St. Matthew, which we possess, was written 
originally in Greek : that the testimony of an- 
tiquity concerning a Hebrew original is vague 
and questionable 1 : but that even admitting the 
plainness and validity of such testimony, and 
allowing a Gospel to have been first written by 
St. Matthew in Hebrew, it does not follow but 
that there may have been a Greek Gospel writ- 
ten by him likewise": further, that supposing 
and taking it for granted, that St. Matthew 
wrote for the Jews in Judea, there is no weight 
in that reason for concluding that he wrote in 
Hebrew, for the Greek language was at that 
time much used throughout the whole Roman 
empire, and particularly in Judea?, and was 
indeed in the time of Christ and his Apostles 
really the universal language 7 : that, as not only 
the rest of the Evangelists, but also the Apostles, 
Peter, James, John, Jude, and Paul, wrote all 
their Epistles in Greek, to Christians, whether 
Jews or Gentiles, throughout the known world; 
and as Matthew's Gospel was designed for 
universal dissemination, not less than theirs; it 
is unlikely that it was originally written in any 
other language than that employed by all the 
other writers of the New Testament z : that 



1 Dr. Lardner u Dr. Townson. x Dr. Lardner 

y Dr. Jortin. z Dr. Hales. 



438 



Matthew the Publican. 



there are not in our Greek Gospel of St. Mat- 
thew any marks of its being a translation from 
another language a : but that there are nume- 
rous and remarkable instances of verbal agree- 
ment between him and the other Evangelists, 
which, on the supposition that he wrote in He- 
brew, or the vernacular Syro-Chaldaick dialect, 
would not be credible b ; since even they who 
maintain that opinion are forced to confess, that 
an early Greek translation of his Gospel existed 
before Luke and Mark wrote theirs ; which they 
saw and consulted. 

In estimating the grounds of these two judg- 
ments, we may perhaps see cause to adopt a 
middle course, as suggested by Dr. Townson ; 
who, having cited the affirmations of several an- 
cient writers, " that St. Matthew wrote his Gos- 
pel in Hebrew, the truth of which point has been 
much questioned or rather denied by learned 
moderns, who contend that he wrote in Greek," 
concludes, that " there seems more reason for 
allowing two originals, than for contesting either; 
the consent of antiquity pleading strongly for 
the Hebrew, and evident marks of originality 
for the Greek. There are instances," he adds, 
" of authors, who have themselves published 
the same work in two languages. So Joseph us 

a Dr, Lardner b Dr. Hales. 



Matthew the Publican. 



439 



wrote the History of the Jewish War. And as 
St. Matthew wanted not ability nor disposition, 
we cannot think he wanted inducement, to 1 do 
the work of an Evangelist* for his brethren of 
the common faith, Hellenists as well as He- 
brews, to both of whom charity made him a 
debtor. The popular language of the first be- 
lievers was Hebrew, what is called so by the 
sacred and ancient ecclesiastical writers ; but 
they who spoke Greek quickly became a con- 
siderable part of the Church of Christ." 

After all, there is no doubt that different 
persons will continue, as they long have con- 
tinued, to decide differently on this much 
litigated question: but Whatever be our de- 
cision upon it, we must feel great satisfaction 
in being assured, that the genuineness and 
authenticity of the Gospel which we possess, 
whether original or translated, are not affected 
by the decision. From the earliest times it was 
universally received in the Christian Church ; 
nor does its genuineness appear to have been 
controverted by any profane author 0 . Upon 
this subject the language of one of the learned 
writers, who contend for the original having 
been in Hebrew, is not unworthy of attention ; 
where, having alleged such to be the fact upon 



1 Bp. Tomline, Bp. Percy. 



440 



Matthew the Publican. 



the ground of the 4i universal and uncontrol- 
lable assertion of all antiquity,"' he adds, " It 
was no doubt soon after translated into Greek, 
though by whom St. Jerome professes he could 
not tell : Theophylact says it was reported to 
have been done by St. John, but Athanasius 
more expressly attributes the translation to St. 
James the Less. The best is, it matters not 
much, whether it was translated by an Apostle 
or some disciple, so long as the Apostles ap- 
proved the version, and that the Church has 
ever received the Greek copy for authentick, 
and reposed it in the sacred Canon. And 
therefore when the late Ariau advocate brings 
in one of his party challenging the divine au- 
thority of this Gospel, because but a trans- 
lation, he might have remembered it is such a 
translation, as hath all the advantages of an 
original, as being translated while the Apostles 
were yet in being to surpervise and ratify it, and 
whose authority has always been held sacred 
and inviolable by the whole Church of God d .' ; 



REFLEXIONS. 

Having thus surveyed the Saint of the day 
historically, we proceed to such reflexions as 



d Dr. Cave. 



Matthew the Publican. 



441 



a contemplation of his history appears best cal- 
culated to supply. 

And first, we may observe, that the calling 
of Matthew by our Saviour is an illustration of 
the wisdom and power of God. Matthew was 
a publican: as such, he was disesteemed and 
despised by the Jews. He became an Apostle; 
and thus, by his instrumentality, both Jews and 
Gentiles were converted to a belief and acknow- 
ledgment of the Gospel. The inference may 
be best conveyed in the language of St. Paul 
to the Corinthians, to which we have already 
had occasion to refer in considering the calling 
of some other Apostles ; " ye see your calling, 
brethren ; how that not many wise men after 
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, 
are called : but God hath chosen the foolish 
things of the world to confound the wise ; 
and God hath chosen the weak things of the 
world to confound the things which are mighty; 
and base things of the world, and things which 
are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things 
which are not, to bring to nought things that 
are: that no flesh should glory in his presence." 

The calling of Matthew is also an illustration 
of the grace of God. The office which he bore 
was so odious amongst his countrymen, and 
gave so much occasion for injustice and op- 



442 Matthew the Publican. 



pression, that the names of publicans and sin- 
ners were usually joined together, " as if he 
who was a publican by profession was sure to 
be a sinner by life 6 ." It does not appear from 
the Gospel narrative, that we have any parti- 
cular reason to suppose, that Matthew had 
been especially a sinner. He may have been 
originally less exorbitant in his employment, 
than his brethren in office were generally sup- 
posed to be : or he may have listened to the 
instructions of our Lord's forerunner, and, while 
he sate at the receipt of custom, have observed 
the Baptist's precept, of " exacting no more 
than that, which was appointed him." Still the 
general association in the minds of his country- 
men would cause them to rank him amongst 
sinners, as was the case with respect to those 
of his profession, who assembled afterwards at 
the entertainment in his house : and thus the 
calling of Matthew the publican to be a fol- 
lower of Christ and a preacher of his Gospel 
is, according to their views more especially, 
an instance of the divine mercy and compas- 
sion of the Saviour, who " came not to call the 
righteous, but sinners to repentance." 

But the grace of God is further illustrated 



e Dr. Towns on. 



Matthew the Publican. 443 



by its effects, in causing Matthew to obey the 
call, and in conforming his mind and life to 
the instructions of him who called him. 

He believed and therefore he obeyed. The 
grounds of his belief, under the influence of 
divine grace, doubtless were the miracles and 
the discourses of our Lord. His call appears 
to have been immediately consequent upon our 
Lord's miraculous cure of the paralytick, fol- 
lowed by an assertion of his authority to forgive 
sins. But moreover we cannot suppose, that 
Matthew was before wholly unacquainted with 
our Saviour's power or doctrine, dwelling as 
he did at Capernaum, the place of Christ's 
usual residence, and the continual scene of his 
wonderful works and instructions ; by which 
he could not but have been in some measure 
prepared to receive the impression, now made 
upon him by our Lord's command. These, 
we presume, were the means, which were de- 
signed by the divine Providence to convince 
him of the character of him who called him : 
and these, operating by the divine blessing on 
" an honest and good heart/ 5 made him faithful 
and obedient to the call. 

And yet there were powerful impediments to 
his compliance presented by his former way of 
life. He had much to sacrifice in a worldly 



444 



Matthew the Publican. 



view, nothing to gain f . He was rich, and had 
a wealthy and thriving trade ; " the great feast," 
which he afterwards " made in his own house" 
for our Saviour, is a proof of his previous con- 
dition ; he was a person too of prudence and 
discretion, for such as were deficient in those 
qualities were not likely to be employed in his 
office; so that doubtless he understood the cost 
of complying with this new appointment, that 
he must exchange wealth for poverty, the house 
of custom for a prison, prosperous and opulent 
employers for a naked and despised Saviour, 
who made no scruple of declaring, that " he had 
not where to lay his head," But in a spiritual 
view he had every thing to gain. He over- 
looked therefore all worldly considerations : 
he renounced his secular connexions, and his 
projects and prospects of worldly interest : he 
determined in spite of all these temptations 
thenceforth to attach and devote himself to the 
Saviour: and with that determination, " he 
arose, and left all, and followed him." 

The entertainment, subsequently given by 
the new convert to his Master, is a very 
pleasing incident. It shews that he regarded 
with complacency and satisfaction the choice 



f Dr. Cave. 



Matthew the Publican. 



445 



which he had made. It testifies at the same 
time a disposition to do honour to the Saviour, 
whose disciple he had become : and a desire 
to introduce his former associates to the same 
spiritual blessings, of which by the grace of 
God he had himself been made a partaker. 
Thus it exhibits St. Matthew to our esteem, as 
a thankful and contented, as a pious and bene- 
volent man. 

Other Christian graces are illustrated by his 
subsequent conduct. It has been considered, 
probably with reason, as a mark of modesty 
and humility, of candour and ingenuousness, in 
our Apostle, that he describes himself in terms 
different from those employed by the other 
Evangelists. Whereas in relating his call, they 
speak of him by the name of Levi, a name by 
which he was probably known in early life g ; 
he speaks of himself by the name of Matthew, 
the name by which he was latterly and univer- 
sally known : thus identifying himself with the 
Publican, who sate at the receipt of custom, 
and avoiding the possibility of his not being re- 
collected as a person formerly engaged in a vile 
and dishonourable course of life 11 . 

To the same effect it has likewise been ob- 
served, that whereas the other two Evangelists, 



s Dr. Lardner. 



h Dr. Cave. 



446 



Matthew the Publican. 



in their catalogues of the twelve Apostles, de- 
scribe our Apostle ska ply by the name of Mat- 
thew ; that which has aptly been represented 
as " his apostolical name," without mention of 
his former occupation ; he in his own ca- 
talogue describes himself with the circum- 
stance of his former occupation appended to his 
name, and reminds us that he was ct Matthew 
the publican 1 ." They may have forborne the 
mention of his previous employment out of 
tenderness and charity. He probably inserted 
it, for the purpose of setting forth his own un- 
worthiness, and thus magnifying the grace of 
God and the condescension and loving-kind- 
ness of the Redeemer. 

Again, to the same effect, whereas the other 
Evangelists in their catalogues, describing the 
Apostles by pairs, place Matthew before Tho- 
mas, he in his own catalogue places Thomas 
before himself, giving the preference to his fel- 
low-Apostle as his superior ; thus appearing of 
small value in his own conceit, and in honour 
preferring others before himself k . 

These good qualities of our Apostle may be 
further exemplified by his silence as well as by 
his speech ; by circumstances which he has 



i Dr. Townson, Dean Stanhope. 
Dr. Townson. 



k Dr. Cave, 



Matthew the Publican. 447 



omitted in his narrative, as well as by those 
which he has introduced. He mentions indeed, 
that, when he was called by Christ, " he arose 
and followed him but he does not mention, 
as St. Luke does, that in order to follow him, 
" he left all 1 ." He mentions, that "Jesus sate 
at meat in the house," but he does not add the 
occasion, namely, that he 4S made him a great 
feast in his own house ;" a particular, of which 
we are informed by St. Luke, from whom alone 
we learn the care of our Apostle in providing 
the entertainment, and that it was his house 
which was thus honoured by our Lord's pre- 
sence. There is no other occasion, on which 
St. Matthew has taken particular notice of 
himself. True it is that he is not elsewhere 
named by the other Evangelists : but it is no 
less true, that an historian of a self-sufficient 
and vain-glorious spirit in the course of his 
narrative might have found, or made, opportu- 
nities enough for distinguishing himself from 
the number of the Apostles in general, and for 
magnifying his own importance and contribut- 
ing to his own honour. 

Of St. Matthew, in his apostolical character, 
there is need for little to be observed. Nothing 
peculiar is recorded of him, either in sacred or 

1 Dr. Town son. 



448 



31 at t hew the Publican, 



in ecclesiastical history, to distinguish him from 
his brethren in the apostleship ; so that there is 
no room for peculiar reflexions, and for others 
of a general nature opportunities have already 
occurred. Suffice it therefore to remark in 
brief, that, as he followed Jesus at first with 
alacrity, so we doubt not he followed him after- 
wards with fidelity and fortitude, " rejoicing 
that he was counted worthy to suffer shame for 
his name \" and has thus left a pattern for us 
to imitate, as well as a subject of grateful and 
affectionate commemoration. 

Meanwhile, as an Evangelist his memory 
ought to be particularly dear to us. In this 
respect it is his peculiar praise, that to him we 
are indebted for the first, in order of time, of 
the narratives of our blessed Saviour's life and 
ministry ; so that he is intitled to the credit, 
not only of having bequeathed to the Christian 
Church an invaluable document from his own 
pen, but of having set an example which has 
been honourably and usefully followed by the 
other disciples of our Lord, " whose praise is 
in the Gospel throughout all the churches." 

It is further to be remembered, that his Gos- 
pel comes recommended to us by the assurance, 
(a consideration indeed not peculiar to this 
Evangelist,) of its being a faithful transcript 
of Him, whose history it professes to deliver. 



Mat the w the Publican. 



449 



Called at an early period to follow our blessed 
Lord, having thenceforward regularly attended 
on his ministry, and being thus an eye-witness 
and an ear-witness of the transactions and the 
discourses which he relates, he has left us a re- 
cord, which even in a human view lays claim 
to implicit credit, independently of the autho- 
rity which it derives from the circumstance of 
its being the composition of one, to whom the 
promise was given of the Holy Spirit, to " guide 
him into all truth. " 

In appreciating also the contents of this 
Gospel, generally accordant as it is in its lead- 
ing features with those of St. Mark and St. 
Luke, (for the contents of St. John^s Gospel 
are notoriously in a great degree supplemental 
to the others.) it is distinguished from the same 
two in some important and valuable particulars. 
And the observation ought not to be under- 
stood as depreciating the others, for they like- 
wise possess the peculiar merits and their pe- 
culiar claims to our esteem, if it be observed, 
that to St. Matthew we are indebted, as for more 
circumstantial distinctness and minuteness in 
the detail of our Saviour's instructions, being 
" silent as much as possible himself, that Christ 
may discourse more at large in his Gospel 01 ," 



Dr. To wnson. 
G g 



450 Mattheiv the Publican. 



so also for the specification of several inci- 
dents, not related by the other Evangelists, 
though in themselves of no slight interest or 
trivial moment. To enumerate all of these 
were unnecessary for our present purpose : 
there are however three or four passages in 
particular, for which St. Matthew may be con- 
sidered as specially intitled to our highest 
esteem. Such are our Lord's Sermon on the 
mount, so fully set forth in his 5th, 6th, and 7th 
chapters; the particulars of the day of judg- 
ment, as delineated in the parable of the ten 
virgins and in the description of the Son of 
man sitting upon the throne of his glory, and 
pronouncing sentence on the assembled nations, 
in the 25th chapter ; and his commission and 
commandment to his Apostles, in the conclud- 
ing chapter, to 44 go and make disciples of ail 
nations, baptizing them in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost." Whether we consider the Christian 
dispensation as establishing a rule of faith for 
its professors, or a code of religious and moral 
instruction ; whether as designed to form them 
into a regularly constituted society under 
Christ in this world, or as training them by 
preparatory discipline for immortality and hap- 
piness in another; the importance of these 
passages cannot escape the notice of any in- 



Matthew the Publican. 



45 i 



quirer, and the value of the document which 
contains them, and our esteem for the writer 
of that document, must be proportionally iii- 
hanced. 

Such are the historical facts, relating to 
" Matthew the Publican," as he is meekly de- 
nominated by himself, or " St. Matthew, the 
Apostle and Evangelist," as the Church re- 
spectfully denominates him ; and such are the 
reflexions which appear most useful to be 
grounded upon his history. What remains, 
but that we be admonished to admire and 
adore the grace of God in calling him from the 
receipt of custom to be a follower of Christ, 
and the power and wisdom of God in employ- 
ing him as an instrument for the conversion of 
others : that we at the same time venerate and 
imitate those virtues, which distinguish his sub- 
sequent life ; his active faith and his prompt 
obedience; his victory ov^er worldly tempta- 
tions; his gratitude and benevolence; his in- 
genuousness and candour; his modesty and 
humility of heart and language : lastly, that we 
act after his example in devoting ourselves to 
the service of our Redeemer, and profit by his 
labours in diligently studying the Gospel which 
he has written for our instruction, to the con- 
firmation of our Christian faith and our pro- 
gress in Christian holiness? And in order to 



452 



Mattheiv the Publican, 



all this what better can we do, than to conclude 
these our meditations with the prayer which 
the Church hath provided for our devotions 
on this day? " Almighty God, who by thy 
blessed Son didst call Matthew from the re- 
ceipt of custom to be an Apostle and Evan- 
gelist ; Grant us grace to forsake all covetous 
desires and inordinate love of riches, and to 
follow the same thy Son Jesus Christ, who 
liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy 
Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen" 

""Lord we beseech thee, grant thy people 
grace to withstand the temptations of the 
world, the flesh, and the devil ; and with pure 
hearts and minds to follow thee, the only God, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." 

uo O Lord, we beseech thee to keep thy 
Church and household continually in thy true 
religion ; that they who do lean only upon the 
hope of thy heavenly grace may evermore be 
defended by thy mighty power; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen." 

" p O Almighty Lord, and everlasting God, 
vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to direct, sanctify, 
and govern, both our hearts and bodies, in 
the ways of thy laws, and in the works of thy 

» Collect for the 18th Sunday after Trinity. 0 Collect 
for the 5th Sunday after Epiphany. v From the Post 

Communion. 



Matthew the Publican, 453 

commandments ; that through thy most mighty 
protection, both here and ever, we may be pre- 
served in body and soul ; through our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen" 



Prepare the feast, the viands bring, 
Heap high the festal board ! 

The subject welcomes Israel's King ; 
The follower greets his Lord. 

But who is he, the host whose care 

Provides the costly feast? 
And who are they assembled there 

Around the heavenly guest ? 

Tis Matthew ; 'tis the publican : 

The favour'd host is he, 
Who sat, a much despised man, 

Beside Tiberias' sea : 

And they, the guests assembled round. 

They boast no better name ; 
One in disgraceful union found, 
Allied to sin and shame. 

O holy Jesus, and are these 

Associates meet for thee ? 
Is this the host thy soul to please, 

And this the company ? 



454 Matthew the Publican. 



" Not to the righteous was I sent ; 

Not to the whole I cry : 
I call the sinner to repent ; 

The sick man's health am I. 

For them my glory I resign'd : 
For them endure the grave : 

1 came the wandering sheep to find, 
The perishing to save." 

Shepherd of Israel ! Saviour dear ! 

Whose voice thy duteous sheep 
Safe in thy fold delighted hear, 

And to thy pasture keep : 

Repentant, lo ! to thee we turn, 
To thee for health we pray : 

Give us what thou reveal'st to learn, 
And what thou bidd'st obey ! 



ST. MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS. 



Michael and his Angels. Rev, xii. 7. 



SCRIPTURAL NOTICE OF THE HOLY 
ANGELS. 

Besides the holy men, whom the Church 

commemorates in her annual series of services, 
she has also seen good to appropriate a festival 
to the celebration of those beings, of a nature 
superior to that of man, whom it pleases Al- 
mighty God to employ in his service, and for 
the benefit of us his inferior creatures. The 
festival is intitled " Saint Michael and all An- 
gels/' because St. Michael is supposed to be 
" recorded in Scripture, as an angel of great 
power and dignity, and as presiding and 
watching over the Church of God, with a 
particular vigilance and application, and as 
triumphing over the devil 



a Dr. Nicholls. 



456 



Michael and his Angels. 



It should however be noticed, that, in the 
judgment of some learned men, Michael is not 
the name of one of those angelical beings, who 
are to come at this time under our contempla- 
tion ; but rather a name, descriptive of our 
blessed Lord and Saviour, as leader of the hosts 
of heaven, and as the champion of his faithful 
people. According to the like judgment, in 
various places of the Old Testament where 
mention is made of " the Angel of the Lord," 
"the Angel of God," " the Angel of God's 
presence, " the expression is intended, not for 
one of the holy angels, but for the Son of God 
himself, appearing as the guide and protector 
of his people, and anticipating his future mani- 
festation in the form of man for the salvation of 
his Church. 

But to whatever conclusion we may come 
on this question concerning Michael, it will 
have little effect on the provision of the Church 
for this day's solemnity ; which she appears to 
have appointed, less for the purpose of com- 
memorating the individual, than the company of 
" holy angels" in general, whom she notices 
under that general description in her Collect 
for the day. In pursuance then of this sup- 
posed purpose of the Church, and in accord- 
ance with the plan already observed in these 
notices, we will first take an historical view of 



Michael and his Angels. 



457 



the " holy angels," so far as Scripture shall 
enable us ; and will then make such reflexions, 
as may appear calculated to promote our im- 
provement. 

In proof of the existence of such a distinct 
order of beings as the " holy angels/' very few 
words can be requisite. The passages in Scrip- 
ture, which speak of them, are too numerous 
and too explicit, to leave a doubt upon the 
mind of any one, who takes that sacred volume 
for the rule of his belief. Indeed "it was so 
general a notion amongst the Jews, and had so 
clear a foundation in the sacred writings, that 
it is remarked as a singular opinion of a cer- 
tain sect, that they held the existence of 
4 neither angel nor spirit.' The Sadducees, 
who also denied a resurrection, were the only 
infidels, as to this point, amongst all those 
who professed any regard for the books of 
Moses b ." 

Of the origin of these heavenly beings we 
know little more than the fact, that they were 
all made by God. The time indeed and the 
manner of their creation are not plainly ex- 
pressed in Scripture ; although Scripture evi- 
dently comprehends them amongst the crea- 
tures of God. Thus St. Paul distinctly in- 

b Bp. Conybeare's Sermons. 



458 



Michael and his Angels. 



eludes them amongst the works of GocPs crea- 
tion : " By him were all things created, that 
are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and 
invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or 
principalities, or powers : all things were cre- 
ated by him and for him c ." In other passages 
of holy writ, it is said that " heaven and all 
things therein" were made by God d ; plainly 
including the angels, who are often spoken of, 
as being in heaven : in the book of Job they are 
termed "the sons of God e ;" and the Psalmist 
reckons them among " God's works/ 5 

The word " Angel," by which these holy 
beings are most commonly described, signifies 
in a general sense, what is likewise signified by 
the words both in the Old and New Testaments 
from which it is translated, a messenger, am- 
bassador, or representative, who bears a de- 
puted office or commission. But in the appro- 
priate sense, in which we are now supposing it 
to be used, it signifies a heavenly messenger ; 
an ambassador of a nature superior to man, 
specially employed in the service and under 
the immediate direction of God. 

They are also described under the names of 
Cherubim and Seraphim : two Hebrew names, 

e Col. i. 16. d Rev. x. 6. Acts iv. 24. e Job ii. 1. 
xxxviii. 7. Ps. ciii. 20—22. cxlviii. 2, 5. 



Michael and his Angels. 



459 



used in the Scriptures of the Old Testament, 
and thence derived into our language ; the for- 
mer denoting orobablv their unwearied diligence 
in serving God, the latter their ardent love for 
him, or perhaps the brilliancy of their appear- 
ance. Sometimes they are mentioned as "an- 
gels of light," with allusion to their residence in 
the realms of light ; and sometimes " the hea- 
venly host," with the same allusion, and to 
mark them out as the army of Him, who very 
frequently designates himself as c< the Lord of 
hosts/' or " the Lord of Sabaoth." 

From the holiness of these heavenly beings, 
from their near resemblance to God in their na- 
ture and properties, and from their readiness in 
executing the commands of God, as well as from 
their origin, they are sometimes also spoken of 
as " the sons of God r" an appellation, which 
is in like manner given to those pious and holy 
men, who are distinguished by the same qua- 
lities. But this appellation does not in any de- 
gree interfere with that peculiar sense, in which 
the name of" the Son of God" belongs to our 
Saviour ; who is, even in his human nature, 
" made so much better than the angels, as he 
hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent 
name than theyV Noble and excellent as 

! Heb. i. 4. 



460 Michael and his Angels. 



these beings are, they are nevertheless " all," 
even the highest and most excellent of them, 
only the attendants on the divine throne, and 
the ministers that execute God's pleasure. 
Though called in a subordinate sense " sons of 
God," God, as the Apostle to the Hebrews ar- 
gues, never said to one of them, " I will be to 
him a father," much less, "Thou art my son, 
this day have I begotten thee." They sit not 
at his right hand : they are not invested with 
supreme power and authority : but are, in other 
places of Scripture, represented as covering 
their faces before him. But our blessed Lord, 
" the brightness of the Father s glory," and the 
sharer of his power, receives the homage and 
adoration of these excellent beings ; they are 
his subjects and ministers : they think them- 
selves honoured by the commands he gives 
them, and happy in the obedience which they 
pay him?. 

Of individual angels the names recorded in 
holy Scripture are but few. Michael is men- 
tioned in the book of Daniel, in the Epistle of 
St. Jude, and in the Revelation of St. John 11 : 
but that doubts are entertained concerning the 
person intended by that name, there has been 
already occasion to intimate. The name sig- 



g Bp. Conybeare. h Dan, x, 13. Jude 9. Rev. xii. 7. 



Michael and his Angels. 461 



nifies 44 who is as God or interrogatively, 
" who like God V y Gabriel is mentioned in the 
book of Daniel also, and in St. Luke's Gospel 1 . 
x4nd in the apocryphal book of Tobit the 
name of Raphael occurs. 

The nature of the holy angels is spiritual. 
The Psalmist, speaking of the Lord, says, 
44 Who maketh his angels spirits, and his min- 
isters a flame of nre k :" and St. Paul, in his 
Epistle to the Hebrews, adopts the descrip- 
tion 1 . But the word, rendered " spirits," might 
perhaps be better rendered 44 winds," as re- 
quired both by the general context, and by the 
subsequent clause of the verse : for the com- 
paring of the angels to 44 a flame of fire" in the 
last clause naturally leads us to apprehend them 
as compared to 4£ winds" in the first m . Thus the 
purity and activity of their nature, and withal 
the efficacy of their ministry, are aptly de- 
scribed under a comparison to two of the most 
active and subtle elements, with which we are 
acquainted. Their spiritual nature appears to 
be further indicated by our blessed Lord, when 
he informs us concerning those who shall be 
admitted to happiness in a future state, that 
" they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, 

i Dan. viii. 16. Luke i. 19, 26, k Psalm civ. 4. 

1 Heb. i, 7, m Dr. Wells. 



462 



Michael and his Angels. 



but are as the angels of God in heaven n ." 
Thus the most current opinion of the Christian 
Church seems most agreeable to Scripture, that 
angels are pure spirits, without the admixture of 
any thing material or corporeal 0 : at the same 
time from other representations in Scripture it 
should seem, that they have been enabled to 
assume bodily lineaments, and to appear be- 
fore men in a human shape. 

Upon occasion of some such appearances 
they are described as furnished with wings, to 
denote the activity and rapidity of their move- 
ments 1 ': and their appearance is represented 
as most beautiful and splendid, with " counte- 
nances like lightning, and raiment white as 
snow q ." 

Several excellent properties are ascribed to 
the angels. They are said to " excel" or "be 
mighty in strength;" and St. Paul terms them 
the " mighty angels 1 ." They are described as 
endowed with peculiar knowledge and discern- 
ment : for to be " as an angel of God to discern 
good and bad," and to be wise "according to 
the wisdom of an angel of God," are expressions 
used with reference to them in the Old Testa- 
ment s ; and in the New, our Saviour intimates 

n Matt. xxii. 30. 0 Mr. Nelson. ! Isaiah vi. 2. 

q Luke xxviii. 3. r Psalm ciii. 20. 2 Thess. i. 7- 

3 2 Sam. xiv. 17, 20= 



Michael and his Angels. 



463 



the extent of their knowledge, and its supe- 
riority above that of men; for "of that day," 
saith he, speaking of the day of judgment, 
44 knoweth no man ; no, not the angels which 
are in heaven 1 ." They are described as eminent 
for virtue and holiness ; whence they appear 
to have derived their epithet of " the holy 
angels u ." And they are withal no less distin- 
guished for their submissive attention to the 
will of God, and their prompt execution of his 
orders, 44 doing his commandments, and heark- 
ening unto the voice of his words*;" as also for 
the lively interest which they feel, and for the 
services which they perform, for the welfare of 
mankind, being " all ministering spirits, sent 
forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of 
salvation?." 

The number of the holy angels is infinitely 
great. £< Ten thousand times ten thousand and 
thousands of thousands" is the emphaticai 
phrase by which their multitude is occasionally 
expressed 2 : and the Apostle to the Hebrews 
describes them as 44 an innumerable company of 
angels a ." 

Amongst this immense concourse of celestial 

1 Mark xiii. 32. u Matt. xxv. 31. x Psalm ciii. 20. 
» Heb. i. 14. z Rev. v. 11. Dan. vii. 10. a Heb. xii. 22. 



464 Michael and his Angels. 



beings different distinctions and degrees of 
rank prevail. The name, by which they are 
sometimes collectively denominated, of "the 
hosts" or " armies" of the Lord, appears to inti- 
mate this, as it also intimates their power, their 
obedience, and their multitude: for without due 
subordination what is a host or army? And if 
" Michael the Archangel," as he is expressly 
styled, be one of the angelical creation, and not 
the Saviour of the world himself, his title implies 
superiority in him, inferiority and subjection in 
others. But the truth appears to be made plain 
and unequivocal by St. Paul to the Colossians, 
where he enumerates the invisible parts of the 
creation ; and names those, which are of the 
greatest eminence among the many degrees 
of the celestial hierarchy, " whether they be 
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or 
powers 5 ." 

The ordinary residence of the holy angels is 
in heaven, which St. Jude terms " their own ha- 
bitation 0 ." For the throne of God, and his spe- 
cial presence, or the place where he more pecu- 
liarly and amply discovers himself, and displays 
his glory, is in heaven : and there the holy 
angels attend upon him, and minister unto him, 



b CoI,i. 16. c Jude 6. 



Michael and his Angels. 



465 



a encircling his throne," as we are informed by 
the Revelation ; and as our Saviour instructs 
us, " always beholding his face 1 ." 

Of the employments, in which the holy angels 
are engaged, the information given to us by 
Scripture is far from scanty. 

In heaven their great occupation is the ce- 
lebration of God's praises, and the offering of 
their adoration. Thus were they exhibited in 
vision to the prophet Isaiah : " I saw the Lord 
sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and his 
train filled the temple. Above it stood the se- 
raphim : each one had six wings ; with twain 
he covered his face ; and with twain he covered 
his feet ; and with twain he did fly. And one 
cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is 
the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his 
glory m ." And thus to the beloved disciple 
John : 4< And all the angels stood round about 

the throne, and fell before the throne on 

their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen : 
Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanks- 
giving, and honour, and power, and might, be 
unto our God for ever and ever. AmenV 
And again : " And I beheld, and I heard the 
voice of many angels round about the throne, 

] Rev. v. 11. Matt, xviii. 10. m Isaiah vi. 1—3. 

a Rev. vii. 11. 

Hh 



406 Michael and his Angels. 



. . . . saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the 
Lamb that was slain to receive power, and 
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, 
and glory, and blessing 0 ." 

On earth it is their principal occupation to 
" do the Lord's pleasure :" as by executing 
other acts of his directing and controlling pro- 
vidence, so especially by 44 succouring and de- 
fending" God's faithful servants, as the Church 
expresses the sentiment in the Collect for this 
day ; by 44 encamping round about them that 
fear him, and delivering them," and by observ- 
ing the 44 charge" which God hath given them 
over his servants, " to keep them in all their 
ways," as the Psalmist says* 1 ; or, as it is 
expressed by the Apostle, by " ministering for 
them who shall be heirs of salvation." 

Various are the particular transactions, in 
which they are described to have taken part in 
different ages of the world. 

44 When the Lord laid the foundations of the 
earth," the holy angels were present, and poured 
forth their notes of gladness and gratulation : 
for then 44 the morning stars sang together, and 
all the sons of God shouted for joy q ." 



° Rev. v. 11. 
* Job xxxviii. 4, 7. 



p Psalm xxxiv. 7 . xci. 11,12. 



Michael and his Angels. 



467 



Under tiie patriarchal dispensation they were 
the instruments and ministers of God's good 
providence in behalf of his chosen and faithful 
servants. They visited Abraham, and imparted 
to him a knowledge of the divine purposes. 
They visited Lot, and warned him of his dan- 
ger in Sodom, and assisted him in effecting his 
escape. An angel was sent before Abraham's 
servant to guide him in selecting a wife for 
Isaac : and the angels of God ascended and 
descended between earth and heaven, to en- 
courage Jacob during his flight. At the same 
time they were occasionally the executioners 
of the Lord's vengeance upon the impious and 
the wicked, as in the case of the cities of the 
plain, which the Lord sent them to destroy r . 

In the giving of the law, God employed the 
ministration of angels : as is intimated with less 
distinctness by the Psalmist, and more plainly 
expressed by St. Stephen in his speech re- 
corded in the Acts of the Apostles, and by 
St. Paul in his Epistles to the Galatians and 
the Hebrews 5 ; though the Word of God did un- 
doubtedly preside among them, and it was in 



r Gen. xviii. 1, 2, 16. 
xxiv. 7. xxviii. 12. 
Gal. iii. 19. Heb. ii. 2. 



xxii. 11, 15. xix, 2, 12, 16. 
s Ps. 1 xviii. 17. Acts viii. 53. 



468 



Michael and his Angels. 



his name that the proclamation was made by 
angels, as his heralds and attendants 1 . 

During the continuance of the legal dispens- 
ation, their ministration was also employed for 
the encouragement and protection of God's 
people, and for the destruction of their enemies. 
By them were the armies of Israel directed on 
their march through the wilderness. By them 
assurances of unexpected deliverance were 
given in the land of Canaan, through the means 
of Gideon and Samson. By them Elijah was 
comforted and supported under the persecu- 
tion of Jezebel : and Elisha was preserved 
from the army of the Syrian king, when, upon 
his prayer, "the Lord opened the eyes of the 
young man, the servant of the man of God, and 
he saw; and behold, the mountain was full 
of horses and of chariots of fire round about 
Elisha. " It was under the protection of a 
heavenly messenger, that Shadrach, Meshach, 
and Abed-nego, walked in the midst of the 
burning fiery furnace, and had no hurt: and 
when Daniel was cast into the den of lions, 
" God sent his angel and shut the lions* mouths, 
that they did not hurt him." By the same 
celestial ministry, Judah was preserved and 



* Dr. Doddridge. 



ftlichael and his Angels. 



469 



Assyria defeated, when in one night the angel 
of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp 
of the Assyrians an hundred four score and 
five thousand men u . 

By the ministration of angels als:o ability 
was imparted to the Jewish prophets. The 
lips of Isaiah were touched with a live coal 
from off the altar by one of the seraphim : it 
was through the intervention of Gabriel that 
Daniel received 46 skill and understanding," and 
was 64 made to know the interpretation of the 
things" which he had seen, and to 44 understand 
the vision i yy and it was through the interven- 
tion, probably of the same angel, that Zecha- 
riah was instructed in the meaning of his 
visions x . 

Under the Gospel, again, numerous instances 
occur of the ministration of these holy beings. 
By the same angel Gabriel, who had appeared 
to Daniel, the annunciation of the conception 
and birth of the promised Saviour was made 
to the Virgin mother : as it was by an angel of 
the Lord that Zacharias, the father of John the 
Baptist, had been apprised of the future birth of 
his son; and that Joseph was made acquainted 
in a dream with the supernatural parentage of 

n Judges vi. 11. xiii. 3. 1 Kings xix. 5. 2 Kings vi. 17. 
Dan, iii. 28. vi. 22. 2 Kings xix. 35. * Is. vi. 6, 7. 

Dan. ix. 21. vii. 16. viii. 16. Zech. L 9. 



470 



Michael and his Angels. 



Jesus ; and subsequently with the method to 
be taken for his preservation 7 . 

The Saviour himself also, " God manifest in 
the flesh," was, as the Apostle expresses it, at 
various periods of his earthly manifestation, 
" seen of angels." His birth was proclaimed 
to the shepherds of Bethlehem by " an angel of 
the Lord," accompanied by " a multitude of the 
heavenly host," who joined in celebrating the 
praises of God. When our Lord had suffered 
his long fasting in the wilderness, and had 
triumphed over the temptations of the devil, 
" behold, angels came and ministered unto 
him." During his bitter agony in the garden of 
Get hse mane, "there appeared an angel unto him 
from heaven strengthening him." After his death 
8 and burial, 44 the angel of the Lord descended 
from heaven, and came,androlled away the stone 
from the door of the sepulchre, and sat upon 
U and afterwards announced to the sorrow- 
ing disciples the glad tidings of his resurrection. 
And at his ascension angels attended, and con- 
soled the disciples for his loss with a promise 
of his future reappearance 2 . 

Nor did their regard for the Church of 
Christ and his Gospel, nor did their attendance 

J Luke i. 26, 11. Matt. i. 20. ii. 13, 19. 2 1 Tim. iii. 

16. Luke ii. 9, 13. Matt, iv. 11. Luke xxii. 43. Matt, xxviii. 
% 5. Actsi, 10, 11. 



Michael and his Angels. 471 



nponhis faithful servants upon earth, or upon 
himself in heaven, now cease. By an angel of 
the Lord, Peter, when imprisoned, and lying 
under a sentence of impending execution, was 
delivered out of the hand of Herod : by an 
angel of the Lord, Herod himself was smitten 
for his impiety towards God, and gave up the 
ghost. Even now, the harmless and virtuous 
disciple, he whose character is shadowed forth 
by the humility, meekness, innocence, and sim- 
plicity of a child, we have reason to believe is 
watched over by these holy guardians, though 
we know not distinctly to what extent or in 
what manner their guardianship is exercised : 
we are assured that they rejoice in heaven at 
the return of the repentant sinner : and at the 
departure of a pious soul they appear to be 
employed in carrying it to the abode of rest 
and bliss a . 

Meanwhile of these 4 ' principalities and powers 
in heavenly places" the knowledge of " the 
manifold wisdom of God" has been enlarged 
by the Gospel. Into the mysteries of the 
Gospel, the redemption of lost mankind by the 
sacrifice of the Saviour, the Son of God, " the 
angels desire to look." To Christ, " who is 
gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of 

• Acts xii. 11, 23. Matt, xviii. 10. Luke xv. 10. xvi. 22. 



472 Michael and his Angels. 

God, angels and authorities and powers are 
made subject." There " the angels of God 
worship him." They join at present in chant- 
ing with a loud voice the praises of " Him who 
sitteth upon the throne, and of the Lamb that 
was slain." When the Son . of man shall here- 
after come in his glory to pronounce sentence 
upon mankind at the great day of judgment, 
bis coming shall be " with a shout, and with the 
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of 
God :" the holy angels will attend him ; and 
" he shall send them forth," and " they shall 
sever the wicked from among the just," and 
" shall gather together his elect from the four 
winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 5 ' 
And we are assured, that part of the society, 
which will thenceforth assist in constituting the 
everlasting happiness of heaven, and into which 
" the spirits of just men made perfect" will 
then be admitted, is " an innumerable company 
of angels ;" whom they will be made to re- 
semble in the qualities of their nature, and in 
their occupations and enjoyments, for they will 
be " as the angels of God in heaven b ." 

b Eph. iii. 10. 1 Pet. i. 12. iii. 22. Heb. i. 6. Rev. v. 11. 
1 Thess. iv. 16. Matt. xiii. 41, 49. xxiv. 31. Heb. xii. 22. 
Matt. xxii. 30. 



Michael and his Angels. 473 



REFLEXIONS. 

We have thus endeavoured to take such a 
view of the " holy angels," the subject of the 
Church's commemoration on this day, as the 
Scripture warrants ; not indulging in fanciful 
and questionable speculations, nor venturing 
upon any statement, beyond what the Scripture 
in its plain and obvious sense has been thought 
to authorize. We now proceed with our re- 
flexions: for which the foregoing Scriptural 
notice will, after the manner of our biographi- 
cal notices, as usual supply us with materials. 

From the existence of these holy beings we 
may see cause to adore the infinite goodness 
and power of the Almighty Creator, in thus 
forming a link in the chain of intellectual being 
to connect the inhabitants of earth with himself, 
through the medium of these his celestial minis- 
ters ; and in multiplying to an immeasurable 
extent an order of creatures, capable of loving, 
serving, and enjoying him perfectly. 

The excellence of their nature, whilst it must 
fill us with admiration of the effects which it is 
calculated to produce, must raise still higher 
our admiration of the great creative power from 
whence it emanates. At the same time, exempt 
as their nature is from all earthly and material 



474 Michael and his Angels. 



incumbrances, endowed with wisdom and 
knowledge, and invested with purity and holi- 
ness, it may prompt us to aspire, in this our 
season of probation and preparation, after those 
heavenly and spiritual qualities, which will best 
fit us through the merits of our Redeemer for an 
entrance into that future state, where he has 
assured us that those, who are admitted into it, 
will be " as the angels of God." In order to this 
most momentous end, let us further contemplate 
in these holy beings an example, which cannot 
be too closely followed, of the most ready 
attention to the will of God, and of the most 
prompt and cheerful execution of it. It was 
our Lord's direction to us that we should pray, 
and it is to be presumed that we accordingly 
make it the subject of our daily prayers, that 
JC the will of God may be done on earth, as it is 
in heaven. 95 The angels do his will perfectly in 
heaven : and if we would that it should be done 
also perfectly on earth, we should contribute our 
exertions towards it, by endeavouring to 44 fulfil 
his commandments" as they do, and by " heark- 
ening" like them " unto the voice of his words/* 
We do not indeed stand in the immediate pre- 
sence, or receive our orders at once from the 
throne : but the Scriptures convey them ; and by 
his gracious Spirit, "God is in the midst of us," 
continually calling to us, and reminding us. 



Michael and his Angels, 



475 



" This is the way, walk ye in it, when we 
turn to the right hand, or when we turn to 
the left." 

Among the specifick forms, in which obe- 
dience to his will is to be shewn, there is none 
more conspicuous recorded of the services of 
the holy angels, than that of worshipping him. 
Imitating the example set before her by these 
heavenly ministers, the Church fails not to di- 
rect her children in her daily service to unite 
continually with the Cherubim and Seraphim 
in the song of Thrice Holy to the Lord God of 
Sabaoth ; and to address themselves to the 
lauding and magnifying of the same Lord, in 
her office for the holy communion, 16 with an- 
gels and archangels, and with all the company 
of heaven." Nor does she fail to direct them, 
to " honour the Son even as they honour the 
Father:" and, as it pleased God, when on the 
morning of the resurrection he brought again 
the first-begotten into the world, to say, " Let 
all the angels of God worship him ;" so she in- 
structs her children, together with " the Father 
of an infinite Majesty," to celebrate " his ho- 
nourable, true, and only Son," who is together 
with him and with " the Holy Ghost, the Com- 
forter," one God, blessed for ever. Amen. 

Another principal form, in which the angels 
manifest their obedience, is by ministering to 
the salvation of men. Let us not render null 



47(3 Michael and his Angels. 



their ministry by neglecting our own salvation: 
let us not shew ourselves indifferent to their 
example by carelessness about the salvation of 
others: let us not despise even the least and 
lowest of our brethren, whom these sons of God 
do not disdain to attend on and to serve. Rather 
by active exertions both for ourselves and for 
our brethren, let us forward the ministrations of 
these unseen agents : let us do what we can 
to multiply the joy, which they experience, at 
the sight of a repentant sinner: let us labour 
with them to promote both the glory of God 
in the highest, and at the same time peace on 
earth and good will amongst men. 

But peace will not prevail either in earth 
or heaven, without due subordination among 
the inhabitants of each. Such subordination 
prevails in heaven : and in heaven therefore 
there is peace. Would to God that such 
were the spirit, and such the effect, on earth ! 
This was the reflexion of our judicious and ad- 
mirable Hooker, when a friend observing him 
just before his death, deep in contemplation, 
and not inclinable to discourse, took occasion 
to inquire his present thoughts : to which he 
replied, " That he was meditating the number 
and nature of angels, and their blessed obe- 
dience and order, without which peace could 
not be in heaven ; and oh ! that it might be so 
on earth \" The anecdote is recorded by Isaac 



Michael and his Angels, 477 



Walton in his valuable life of that most ex- 
cellent man and most learned divine : and 
Bishop Horne in his Sermons, alluding to it, 
thus beautifully and appositely remarks, "The 
subject which engaged his dying thoughts 
ought constantly to engage our living ones ; 
since, in the prayer composed and delivered 
out to his disciples by our Lord and Saviour, 
the obedience of the angels is proposed as the 
pattern to be imitated by us ; as the copy after 
which we should diligently write: * Thy will 
be done on earth, as it is in heaven/" 

In such ways as these it behoves us to copy 
the example of the holy angels. Meanwhile 
for the services which thev render us in minis- 
tering to our salvation, and in promoting our 
security and welfare, a grateful recollection and 
a solemn commemoration of them may be pro- 
perly esteemed due. Such regard is shewn 
them by the provisions of the Church this day; 
when we acknowledge the benefits derived 
from them, as proceeding from the ordinance of 
that " Everlasting God, who hath ordained and 
constituted the services of angels and men in a 
wonderful order;" and accordingly pray him 
"• mercifully to grant, that as his holy angels 
alway do him service in heaven, so by his ap- 
pointment they may succour and defend us on 
earth, through Jesus Christ our Lord." Thus 



478 Michael and his Angels, 



the Church instructs us to acknowledge the 
services of these heavenly ministers, by refer- 
ring them to the source from whence they 
proceed; the will of the common Creator and 
Governour both of the angels and of us. To 
do more than this the Church does not instruct 
us, by prescribing any act of thanksgiving or 
prayer, addressed immediately to themselves : 
nor would the Scripture, the guide of the 
Church in all her ordinances, be our warrant or 
our justification in doing more. Of worship, 
in any form or degree, as fit to be addressed to 
those holy beings, the word of God gives us not 
any intimation : of the unfitness of such wor- 
ship on the contrary that word gives us a most 
distinct and plain intimation, both in the com- 
mandment that we worship God only, and 
in the prohibition delivered by one of the an- 
gelical order, "See thou do it not: I am thy 
fellow-servant 0 ." And it is the solemn caution 
of St. Paul to the Colossians, "Let no man 
beguile you of your reward in a voluntary 
humility and worshipping of angels, intruding 
into those things which he hath not seen, 
vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not 
holding the Head, from which all the body by 
joints and bands having nourishment ministered 



c Rev. xix. 10. 



Michael and his Angels, 479 



and knit together, increaseth with the increase 
of God d ." This caution of the Apostle is 
a very plain condemnation of angel worship, 
as an unauthorized infringement of the Chris- 
tian law, a beguilement of the Christian's re- 
ward, and an incroachment on the prerogative 
of Christ. If it be said, that such worship 
is addressed to them only as mediators, that 
makes but little alteration in the case ; since to 
apply to a false mediator is as much a departure 
from Jesus Christ our only Advocate, as to 
worship a fictitious deity is the withdrawing of 
our faith and allegiance from the true God : and 
the worshipping of angels, which is here con- 
demned, being joined with " voluntary humi- 
lity," plainly enough signifies such worship of 
angels, as is performed under colour of humility; 
that is with this pretence, that it is a kind of pre- 
sumption in us vile sinners to make our ad- 
dresses immediately to the supreme God by his 
eternal Son ; that so we apply ourselves to the 
angels the heavenly ministers, and beg their 
merits and intercessions to convey our petitions 
to the great King of heaven e . Yet is this the 
very same angel worship, which the Romish 
Church at this day practises and defends; and 
she practises and defends it under the same 



d Col. ii, IB, 19. 



e Bp. Bull 



480 Michael and his Angels. 



colour and pretence : for notwithstanding the 
explicit and solemn manner, in which the 
Apostle forewarned Christians against such a 
corruption of their religion, and such an aban- 
donment of their Lord, " the worshipping of 
angels and saints, as mediators, crept into the 
Church about four hundred years afterwards, 
and hath continued ever since, in defiance of 
his admonitions, and against the whole tenour 
of the sacred writings f ." 

Renouncing then all such testimonies of 
gratitude however well-intentioned, and all 
such rash effusions of misplaced devotion as 
these, be it the care of the faithful Christian to 
offer his prayers and thanksgivings for the 
means of grace and for the hope of glory to 
Almighty God ; not through these heavenly 
beings, who, though in a post of duty and ser- 
vice greatly higher than himself, are still but his 
" fellow-servants ;" but through that only Sa- 
viour, that only Propitiation, Mediator, and 
Advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous; who 
submitted for our sakes to be 44 made lower 
than the angels," but 44 is now set down at the 
right hand of God, angels and authorities and 
powers being made subject unto Him." Thus 
will he be secured against making an impro- 



e 



f Dr. Jortin. 



Michael and his Angels. 



481 



per, and be encouraged to make a proper, use 
of the provisions of the Church for this day's 
service : and he may humbly trust, that " God 
will give his angels charge over him to keep 
him in all his ways" in this world ; and finally 
to carry him to a better, where with " an innu- 
merable company" of the heavenly host he 
may unite in ascribing " Blessing, and honour, 
and glory, and power, unto Him that sitteth 
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever 
and ever." 

Colled for the day. 

" O everlasting God, who hast ordained 
and constituted the services of angels and men 
in a wonderful order; mercifully grant, that as 
thy holy Angels alway do thee service in heaven, 
so by thy appointment they may succour and 
defend us on earth, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen." 

" It is very meet, right, and our bounden 
duty, that we should at all times and in all 
places give thanks unto thee, G Lord, Holy 
Father, Almighty, Everlasting God. Therefore 
with Angels and Archangels, and with all the 
company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy 
glorious name, evermore praising thee and say- 
ing, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts, 

i i 



482 Michael and his Angels. 



heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Glory 
be to thee, O Lord most high. Amen m " 

" Glory be to God on high, and in earth 
peace, good will towards men. We praise 
thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify 
thee, we give thanks to thee for thy great glory, 
O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father 
Almighty. 

" O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesu 
Christ; O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of 
the Father, that takest away the sins of the 
world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest 
away the sins of the world, have mercy upon 
us. Thou that takest away the sins of the world, 
receive our prayer. Thou that sittestat the right 
hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us. 

" For thou only art holy, thou only art the 
Lord, thou only, O Christ, with the Holy 
Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the 
Father. Amen m ." 



m From the Communion Service, 



Michael and It is Angels, 483 



O Thou, who sitt'st on high, 
Lord of the earth and sky, 
Encircled by thy six-wing' d seraph train 11 ; 
Whom rapt Tsaiah view'd, 
As round thy throne they stood, 
And heard them chanting in alternate strain, 
" O holy, holy, holy, Lord of hosts, 
Whose glory fills the earth, while heaven thy presence 
boasts :" 

Lord of the earth and sky, 

Whether thou sitt'st on high, 
Or wendest forth to manifest thy will ; 

Still on thy royal state 

Attendant spirits wait, 
To swell thy pomp, and thy behests fulfil : 
Where'er thou art, thine angel hosts are there, 
Bright as the lambent flame, free as the viewless air". 

All glorious was the array, 

When, on Creation's day, 
Thou bad'st the earth self-pois'd" on nothing haug p :" 

To see so fair a place 

For man's intended race? 
Heaven's wide expanse with Hallelujah rang ; 
Together sang the stars of morning bright % 
And all the sons of God shouted for deep delight. 



n Is. vi. 1—3. 0 Psalm civ, 4, p Job xxvi. 7- 

q Job xxxviii. 7. 



484 Michael and his Angels, 



All glorious was the array, 

When thou, on Israel's day, 
Gavest forth from Sinai's top the " fiery law r 

Ten thousand saints around, 

(While peaFd the trumpet's sound,) 
Resplendent forms, astonished Moses saw : 
No human breath that pealing' trumpet blew, 
Which sounded long and loud, and still more loud it grew 8 . 

And glorious was the array, 

When, on redemption's day, 
Thou earnest in lowly guise to visit earth : 

To Bethlehem's nightly fold' 

The news thy angel told, 
And heavenly voices hymn'd the Saviour's birth : 
Glory they sang for God's redeeming grace, 
And peace restor'd to earth, and love for man's lost race. 

But yet another day 
Demands that bright array, 
When thou shalt come in glorious majesty : 
Thy holy angels then 
Shall call the tribes of men 
From the four corners of the ambient sky°: 
" To judgment," hark, a shout proclaims abroad ! 
Hark, the Archangel's voice sounds from the trump of 
God* ! 

r Deut. xxxiii. 2. 8 Ex. xix. 19. ' Luke ii. 9, 13. 
" Matt, xxiv. 31. x I Thess. iv. 16. 



Michael and his Angels. 485 

Blest beyond thought are they, 

Whom, on that dreadful day, 
Emanuel, thou shalt welcome for thine own : 

Mix'd with a countless band^ 

Of angels they shall stand, 
And sing to Him who sitteth on the throne 1 ; 
" Worthy is He, the great, the good I AM, 
All blessing to receive ; and worthy is the Lamb," 

Lord of the earth and sky, 

Whose angel hosts on high 
Wait at thy bidding, at thy bidding move : 

O grant us to fulfil 

On earth thy sovereign will, 
As they fulfil it in thy courts above : 
That striving now to serve thee, ev'n as they, 
Like them we may become through thine eternal day a ! 



y Heb. xii. 22. 1 "Rev. v. 12, 13. a Matt. xxii. 30. 



ST. LUKE. 



Luke, the beloved physician. Col. iv. 14. 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ST. LUKE. 

OF the Saint, whom the Church commemorates 
this day, Luke the Evangelist, there are not 
many particulars recorded in the New Testa- 
ment. No mention is made of him in the Gos- 
pels : nor in the Acts of the Apostles, allowed 
to have been his composition, is there express 
mention of him individually; although, by the 
use of the pronoun 44 we" and " us," he in- 
cludes himself amongst the company attendant 
on St. Paul during a large portion of his tra- 
vels. By that Apostle he is mentioned three 
several times expressly: in the Epistle to the 
Colossians, where it is the most ancient and 
common, and at the same time the most pro- 
bable opinion, that 44 Luke the beloved physi- 



488 Luke, the beloved physician. 



cian a " is the same as Luke the Evangelist; 
again, in the Epistle to Philemon, whom he joins 
St. Paul in saluting, being named as one of the 
Apostle's " fellow-labourers* 5 ;" and lastly 5 in the 
second Epistle to Timothy, where he is again 
spoken of, as will be hereafter more particularly 
noticed, under circumstances of honourable 
distinction 0 . He has been also very commonly 
supposed to be mentioned implicitly by the 
same Apostle in his second Epistle to the 
Corinthians, under the description of " the bro- 
ther, whose praise is in the Gospel throughout 
all the Churches d ." Upon the strength how- 
ever of the general concurrence of the Chris- 
tian Church he has been always regarded as the 
Author of the Gospel, which bears his name ; a 
circumstance, probably alluded to in the pas- 
sage just recited ; as also of the Acts of the 
Apostles which he composed in continuation 
of his Gospel. It is principally on account of 
these two works that he is intitled to a grate- 
ful commemoration in the Christian Church; 
whilst the excellence of his character will not 
fail to he made apparent from other considera- 
tions of a personal nature. 

St. Luke is reported by Eusebius and Jerome 

* Coi. iv. 14 b Philem. ver. 24. c 2 Tim. iv. 11. 

* 2 Cor. viii. 11. 



Luke, the beloved physician. 489 



to have been born at Antioch, the metropolis 
of Syria: a city, celebrated for numerous ad- 
vantages, especially for its schools of instruction 
and the ability and learning of its professors 
in all arts and sciences 6 . He may have thus 
enjoyed the opportunity of an ingenuous and 
liberal education, by which he appears to have 
profited ; and having been first accomplished 
in the preparatory institutions of philosophy, 
to have more particularly applied himself to 
the study of medicine, in the profession and 
practice of which he probably continued dur- 
ing his life. He has been also said to have been 
skilled in painting ; and pictures of the Virgin 
Mary have in different places been exhibited 
as the productions of his art. But this is a 
mere traditionary story, which deserves to be 
rejected as altogether fabulous f . 

It is doubtful whether St. Luke was a Jewish 
proselyte, that is one who had been converted 
from Gentilism to Judaism, before his con- 
version to Christianity ; or a Jew by birth, as 
well as by religion. Some have supposed him 
to have been one of the seventy disciples: others 
have thought that he was one of the two, who 
met our Lord after his resurrection on the way 
to Emmaus. The name of one of these is men- 



e Dr. Cave. 



Dr. Lardner. 



490 Luke, the beloved physician. 



tioned to have been Cleopas ; but no mention 
is made of the name of the other: and he has 
accordingly been thought to be the Evangelist, 
who out of modesty declined to mention him- 
self. However this be, and whether or not he 
was at all a hearer of Christ, there is good 
reason from the most ancient writers for believ- 
ing, that he was a disciple, and follower, and 
fellow-labourer, of the Apostles. As such he is 
recorded by Xrenseus, as well as by later writers: 
and he is particularly represented by them as 
alluding to his intercourse with the Apostles in 
the introduction to his Gospel, where he says, 
"Even as they delivered them unto us, who 
from the beginning were eye-witnesses and 
ministers of the words." 

Added to this acquaintance with the other 
Apostles, which Eusebius terms " more than a 
slight acquaintance," St. Luke enjoyed a more 
particular intimacy and friendship with St. Paul. 
By some writers indeed he has been represented 
as a convert of that Apostle. But this is not 
supported by any very strong authority inde- 
pendent of Scripture: "nor are there in the Acts 
or in St. Paul's Epistles, any hints that St. Lnke 
was his convert. Whereas, if he had been so, 
there would probably," asDr.Lardner observes. 



g Dr. Lardner. 



Luke, the beloved physician. 



491 



"have appeared some tokens of it in the affec- 
tionate expressions of Paul toward him on the 
one hand, or in the respectful and grateful ex- 
pressions of Luke toward Paul on the other 
hand." 

Of this Apostle however it is indisputable 
that St. Luke was for a very considerable time 
the constant and faithful companion. From his 
own narrative in the 16th chapter of the Acts we 
learn that he was in St. Paul's company at 
Troas, before the Apostle took ship to go into 
Macedonia; that he accompanied him on that 
voyage to Samothracia ; and that he was further 
his companion on the journey from Samothracia 
to Neapolis, and thence to Philippi. A change 
of person at this period of the narrative has 
given occasion for a question, whether or not 
St. Luke continued with the Apostle during the 
transactions recorded in the 17th and two fol- 
lowing chapters. By many writers however it 
is supposed that he did continue in the Apostle's 
company throughout : by Irenseus in particular, 
the Evangelist, after his first attendance on St. 
Paul at Troas, is called the Apostle's insepa- 
rable companion 11 . Certainly, if at any time 
separated from him, he was again associated 
with him during the occurrences which form the 

h Dr. Cave, Dr. Lardner. 



492 Luke, the beloved physician. 



subject of the 20th chapter, and the remainder 
of the book; travelling with him first from 
Greece through Macedonia to Philippi, and 
thence again to Troas. And it appears from 
the sequel of the history in the Acts, that he at- 
tended him in all his subsequent dangers, wit- 
nessed his several arraignments at Jerusalem, 
was his fellow-traveller on his tempestuous and 
perilous voyage to Rome; where he ministered 
to his necessities, and laboured with him for the 
propagation and establishment of the Gospel 
during the whole time of the Apostle's two 
years' imprisonment there, with which the his- 
tory of the Acts concludes. His presence with 
St. Paul at this time appears from the Epistles to 
the Colossians and to Philemon, written during 
this period ; for he is one of those who join with 
him in sending salutations, and who are men- 
tioned by him as his " fellow-labourers/' It is 
probable that he still continued with him after 
his liberation : and during the Apostle's second 
imprisonment at Rome, which was not ter- 
minated but by his death, it appears from his 
second Epistle to Timothy, written most pro- 
bably at that season, that Luke was still with 
him. 

In the course of his attendance upon the 
Apostle, St. Luke must have enjoyed frequent 
and ample opportunities for procuring from him 



Luke, the beloved physician. 



493 



that information, which he has imparted to the 
world in his Gospel. " St. Paul himself must 
have had a distinct knowledge of all things con- 
cerning the Lord Jesus. Christianity, as has 
been often and justly said, is founded in facts. 
In order to preach it, St. Paul must have had a 
knowledge of Christ's life, preaching, miracles, 
death, resurrection, and ascension. As he was 
not instructed by other Apostles in the doctrine 
preached by him, he must have had it from 
revelation. What was thus revealed to him he 
preached. And it is easy to understand, how a 
person, like St. Luke, who was in the constant 
habit of attending upon him in his ministry dur- 
ing several years, and hearing him preach in 
divers places and to men of every character, 
might from St. PauPs sermons have composed 
a gospel or history of Jesus ChristC 

This accords with the history of our Evan- 
gelist, derived from the best authorities that 
we possess. Learned men have remarked, 
that " there is a wonderful agreement of the 
ancients in making St. Luke the interpreter and 
attendant of St. Paul, as St. Mark of St. Peter. 
It is said by Irenaeus, that e Luke wrote the Gos- 
pel which Paul preached and by Tertullian, 
that 4 some made Paul the author of his Gospel 

3 Dr. Lardner, 



494 Luke, the beloved physician. 



because it is reasonable to ascribe to the master 
the works published by the disciple.' St. Chry- 
sostoni, no incompetent judge of the language 
of the Apostles, discovers in St. Mark's Gospel 
the concise style of St. Peter, and in St. Luke's 
the more diffuse diction of St. Paul. In the 
Synopsis, ascribed to Athanasius,it is affirmed, 
that ' the Gospel of Luke was dictated by the 
Apostle Paul, and written and published by 
the blessed Apostle and Physician LukeV " 

Agreeably to this statement of the ancients, 
that " Luke wrote the Gospel which Paul 
preached," critics have noticed, that there is 
often a great affinity in their phrases ; of 
which the account given by them of the insti- 
tution of the Lord's supper has been frequently 
brought as an example. But it is to be pre- 
sumed that the ancients said this of him in a 
higher sense, than that he followed his master's 
diction; and meant that he drew his know- 
ledge of evangelical facts, as well as doctrines, 
from the sources of St. Paul's illumination. 
This opinion receives countenance from the 
manner in which he speaks of himself in his 
preface. In that, whilst he describes himself, 
as above observed, to have received accounts 
of our Lord's life and ministry from those" who 

k Dr. Townson. 



Luke, the beloved physician. 495 



from the beginning were eye-witnesses and 
ministers of the word," he also describes him- 
self as " having had perfect understanding of all 
things from the very first :" which appears to 
intimate, that, although he had conversed fa- 
miliarly with other Apostles, and in composing 
his Gospel did not decline the assistance of 
those who were " eye-witnesses" of what he 
related ; yet he was principally indebted for 
this " perfect understanding" to St. Paul, who 
received his knowledge of the evangelical his- 
tory and doctrines by immediate revelation from 
heaven 1 . 

There is some doubt as to the place where 
St. Luke composed his Gospel. It seems 
most reasonable to adhere to Jerome's account, 
namely, that he composed it in Greece : and in 
that country also he probably published his His- 
tory of the Acts of the Apostles, having written it 
either there or at Rome, at the end of St. Paul's 
two years' imprisonment in that city, with which 
he concludes the narrative 111 . 

Both of these compositions of our Evangelist 
are inscribed to Theophilus : by which name 
some writers have supposed no particular per- 
son to have been intended, but any good Chris- 
tian, any lover of God in general, such being 



1 Dr. Townsoo, m Dr. Cave, Dr. Lardner. 



4.96 Luke, the beloved physician. 



the signification of the word. Angustin how- 
ever, and Chrysostom, and many others, have 
thereby understood a real person. This inter- 
pretation appears more agreeable to the sim- 
plicity and dignity of historical and evangelical 
truth : and the epithet, " most excellent," being 
the same title which St. Paul uses in his ad- 
dresses to Felix and Festus, should seem to 
indicate a man of rank and authority. If St. 
Luke published his books in Greece, it is pro- 
bable that Theophilus was a Grecian : and it 
is a reasonable supposition, that he was a ma- 
gistrate, whom the Evangelist had converted 
and baptized ; and to whom he now dedicated 
his narratives, not only as a testimony of ho- 
nourable respect, but as means of giving him 
further certainty and assurance of those things, 
wherein he had orally instructed him. 

The time, the place, and the manner of St. 
Luke's death are uncertain. Nicephorus, a 
writer in the 14th century, whom some moderns 
have followed, relates, that, having successfully 
preached the Gospel in Greece, he was assaulted 
by a party of infidels, who hanged him on an 
olive tree in the 80th year of his age". But 
none of the most ancient writers say any thing 
of his martyrdom : if called a martyr by any 



» Mr. Nelson. 



Luke, the beloved physician . 497 



writer of credit, the term may be most properly 
understood in a general sense, as equivalent to 
confessor, or a great sufferer for the Gospel. 
The most probable case appears to be, that he 
died atPatra? inAcbaia,at an advanced age, and 
not by a violent death : but, according to the 
account of a writer in the 8th century, cited by 
Dr. Lardner, that, " after having endured very 
many afflictions for the sake of Christ, he 
returned in peace to him who is the God of 
peace. yy 

REFLEXIONS. 

We proceed to make some reflexions on the 
character of St. Luke, whence we shall be 
led to perceive how worthy our Evangelist is 
of grateful commemoration in the Christian 
Church, and what benefit we may derive to 
ourselves from the commemoration. 

Our first ground of commendation shall be 
the association between our Evangelist and the 
great Apostle of the Gentiles St. Paul ; whose 
journeys and voyages he records in the Acts 
of the Apostles, intimating very plainly, but in 
a manner void of ostentation, that he was a 
partner in the adventures, which form the prin- 
cipal subject of his narrative. 

Now during those journeys and voyages, 
whether undertaken generally for the preaching 

k k 



498 Luke, the beloved physician. 



of the Gospel, or especially for the purpose 
of appearing before the Roman emperor, for 
which purpose we know that St. Paul was sent 
a prisoner to Rome, it is evident that no emolu- 
ment , o r honour, or worldlyadv an tagecouldhave 
been in the contemplation either of the Apo- 
stle himself or of any of his companions: and 
it is also evident from the narrative, that perils 
and disasters of various kinds did actually 
befal them. It is impossible that any one can 
read the narrative, without being struck with 
admiration of the disinterested generosity, the 
love of truth and holiness, the piety, the resig- 
nation, the benevolence, the fortitude, the self- 
denial, the neglect of earthly things ; in a word, 
the various Christian graces of the great Apo- 
stle. And it is at least reasonable to suppose, 
that some measure of these estimable qualities 
was possessed by his voluntary and affectionate 
companion. 

But this supposition will be confirmed by 
observing the manner, in which St. Paul him- 
self speaks of this his companion : for it is here 
to be borne in mind, that the connexion be- 
tween the Apostle and the historian of his 
travels was not terminated by their arrival at 
Rome, but that they continued there together 
under circumstances highly honourable to the 
principles and good qualities of St. Luke. In 



Luke, the beloved physician. 499 



the Epistle to the Colossians, written during 
St. Paul's imprisonment, he speaks of our Evan- 
gelist under the endearing appellation of "Luke 
the beloved physician." In his Epistle to Phi- 
lemon, written also during his imprisonment, he 
includes him in the enumeration of his " fellow- 
labourers," those who laboured with him doubt- 
less in the propagation of the Christian faith. 
And in his second Epistle to Timothy, written 
at the period of his second imprisonment at 
Rome, he thus describes his situation: " Demas 
hath forsaken me, having loved this present 
world, and is departed unto Thessalonica : 
Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. Only 
Luke is with me." Crescens, it should appear, 
and Titus were absent on the work of the min- 
istry. But from Demas, the worldly-minded 
Demas, St. Luke is honourably distinguished, 
as regardless of his own present convenience 
and interest, and of his future temporal safety, 
in order that he might continue the alleviator 
of the Apostle's sufferings in his bonds, and 
the partner and assistant of his exertions. 
Commendation like this cannot but give him 
value in our estimation : for surely it is no light 
praise to be recorded, as a person 44 beloved" 
by St. Paul, whether for his general fidelity to 
the Church or for his personal attachment to 



500 Luke, the beloved physician. 



the Apostle; as a fellow-labourer of St. Paul 
in doing the work of an Evangelist ; as the ad- 
herent and support of St. Paul in his state of 
abandonment and desolation. 

There are two considerations which espe- 
cially recommend St. Luke in this part of his 
character to our admiration and imitation. The 
season, in which the exercise of kindness and 
friendship is most precious, is when it is most 
wanted : and when is it most wanted, but in the 
hour of danger, distress, persecution, and de- 
sertion ? It was one of the greatest aggravations 
of our blessed Redeemer's sufferings, that, in 
his severest trial, those from whom he might 
have expected support and consolation ceased 
to administer them to him : for " his disciples 
forsook him and fled." Such was in some degree 
the condition of his Apostle St. Paul, who ad- 
verts to the subject with a painful sense of its 
bitterness, but with an honourable exception in 
favour of St. Luke. If we admire the fidelity of 
the Evangelist, let us be thereby encouraged to 
follow it. Let not selfish considerations detach 
us from those, whose virtues merit our regard, 
and whose necessities require our interposition: 
but when others have forsaken them, who, like 
Demas, " love the things of this present world," 
let us shew our disinterested affection by more 



Luke, the beloved physician. 



501 



persevering attachment and more exemplary 
attentions. 

But the consideration, which should par- 
ticularly recommend St. Luke to us as an 
example in this part of his character, is that his 
adherence to St. Paul was not merely a per- 
sonal attachment to the individual, but was a 
testimony of his regard for the truth of the 
Gospel, which he himself " most surely be- 
lieved," and for which the Apostle was " an 
ambassador in bonds." Together therefore 
with the affection of the friend we have in our 
Evangelist an example of the faithfulness of the 
disciple : of one disposed to sacrifice his per- 
sonal ease and comfort, to engage in laborious 
occupations, and to expose himself to an un- 
principled persecution " for Jesus' sake." Here 
again his example may afford us encouragement. 
We indeed may perhaps not be called upon to 
make any very difficult sacrifices on account of 
our religion, or to undergo any extremity of 
labour, or to incur any signal dangers in that 
behalf. Yet the faithful Christian will always 
find occasions in which he may testify his 
fidelity to Christ, by labouring to instruct the 
ignorant, and by administering assistance and 
comfort to his afflicted brethren. And he who 
engages in these works and labours of love, 
provided he engage in them with Christian 



502 Luke, the beloved physician. 



prudence as well as Christian benevolence, is, 
like our Evangelist, manifesting thereby a laud- 
able attachment to the Christian faith. 

The character of St. Luke however will pro- 
bably advance in importance under the next 
view which we are to take of it. It has been 
noticed that according to the judgment of anti- 
quity St. Paul speaks of him to the Corinthians 
by implication as " the brother whose praise is 
in the Gospel throughout all the churches;" and 
he is supposed to have been so described, as 
being worthy of praise in all churches for the 
Gospel which he wrote, according to the appli- 
cation made by the Church of the passage in the 
Collect for this festival. And worthy indeed he 
is of everlasting praise and gratitude for the 
Gospel with which he has furnished us. Pos- 
sessed himself of the most profitable know- 
ledge, the knowledge of our Lord and Sa- 
viour Jesus Christ, that knowledge which is 
unto salvation, he desired to apply it to the best 
of purposes, namely, that of instructing* others. 
" Forasmuch," saith he in the commencement 
of his Gospel, " as many have taken in hand to 
set forth in order a declaration of those things 
which are most surely believed among us, Even 
as they delivered them unto us, which from the 
beginning were eye-witnesses and ministers of 
the word ; It seemed good to me also, having 



Luke, the beloved physician. 503 



had perfect understanding of all things from the 
very first, to write unto thee in order, most ex - 
cellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know 
the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast 
been instructed." And his Gospel accordingly 
contains a summary of the facts, to the know- 
ledge of which the first Christians were intro- 
duced ; an historical exposition of that cate- 
chetical information, which was imparted to 
persons in order to their conversion to the 
Christian faith. 

It is not intended in these reflexions to insti- 
tute any sort of comparison between the ex- 
cellence of this and either of the other three 
Gospels. Conspiring as they all do for the 
furtherance of the same great purpose, and 
agreeing as the three first in particular mainly 
do, in delivering the same body of evangelical 
truth, they have at the same time their distin- 
guishing peculiarities, which give to each its 
peculiar value without derogating from that 
to which the others are intitled. In immediate 
connexion therefore with our present subject it 
may be not unimportant to remark, that in the 
execution of his purpose St. Luke appears to 
have been distinguished by a measure of learn- 
ing more abundant than that which was pos- 
sessed by his brethren in the Gospel history, 
and by a character of language more various. 



501 Luke, the beloved physician. 



copious, and pure ; whilst several particulars, 
which clo not occur in the other narratives, are 
to be found in his, such as some interesting 
circumstances preceding and accompanying the 
birth and early years of Christ, the hymns of the 
blessed Virgin, Zacharias, and Simeon, and some 
additional miracles and parables. Without 
enlarging however on this topick, it may suffice 
to say, that as the character of his history am- 
ply justifies the appellation given him by St. 
Paul of " the brother whose praise is in the 
Gospel," so it is a solid ground for the prayer 
with which the Church beseeches Almighty 
God, as she does on this day, that he, who 
" called Luke the Physician, whose praise is 
in the Gospel, to be an Evangelist and Phy- 
sician of the soul," would be pleased to grant, 
" that, by the wholesome medicines of the 
doctrine delivered by him, all the diseases of 
our souls may be healed, through the merits 
of Jesus Christ our Lord," 

It has been noticed as a peculiarity in the 
style of St. Luke's writing, that it is of a higher 
cast than that of the other Evangelists. This 
superiority in manner may have been the result 
of his profession, and of the studies and com- 
munications connected with it; from which it 
is probable that he derived more scientifick 
knowledge and more of what is called liberal 



Lake, the beloved physician. 



505 



information, than we may suppose to have fallen 
to the lot of his brethren, who were in a rank 
of life less abounding with intellectual cultiva- 
tion. And it may have been designed by the 
special providence of God, that such men as 
our Evangelist and St. Paul were employed in 
the composition of writings for the instruction 
of all ages of the Church, as a satisfactory 
proof, that not only men recommended by 
good sense and integrity, but also men pos- 
sessed of comprehensive and enlightened 
minds, " most surely believed" the truths of 
the Christian faith. Persons have perhaps 
been sometimes found, who, from their attach, 
ment to pursuits of science and to the acquisi- 
tion of general knowledge, have appeared 
sceptical upon the subject of divine revelation. 
It may not therefore be inexpedient to be fur- 
nished with the remark, that others, at least 
equally endowed with intellectual powers and 
equally rich in intellectual acquirements, have 
been serious, rational, and conscientious be- 
lievers. Amongst these may be ranked the 
great Apostle St. Paul, who has been rarely 
surpassed in strength of understanding, or in 
the treasures of a cultivated mind : and in con- 
nexion with him it may be added, that " Luke 
the beloved Physician," " whose praise is in 
the Gospel," was professionally acquainted 



506 Luke, the beloved physician. 



with the operations of nature, and the effects 
of secondary causes, and thus qualified to ap- 
preciate the miraculous and supernatural cha- 
racter of the works which he has recorded as 
foundations of our belief. 

But to proceed. It is not only on his Gospel 
that the claim of our Evangelist to the grateful 
commemoration of the Christian Church is 
established. The sequel of that Gospel, as 
contained in the Acts of the Apostles, is one 
of the most valuable historical documents, 
which the Church, or, it may be added, which 
the world possesses : and inasmuch as it is the 
only inspired document of that description, 
relating to the primitive times of Christianity, 
it may be considered perhaps with reason even 
more valuable than the Gospel of St. Luke itself. 
However this may be, the various information, 
which the work contains, although not a com- 
plete history either of the Church at large dur- 
ing the times of which it treats, or of all or 
of any of the Apostles, is of the most affect- 
ing and instructive character. In the matters 
of fact recorded by it we find continual occa- 
sions for improving our views of the Christian 
dispensation, and of the wisdom and power of 
God in framing it ; for bettering our practice, 
or for strengthening our faith. At the same 
time the circumstances incidentally introduced. 



Luke, the beloved physician. 507 



relating to the geography of the countries, 
which were the scenes of action, to their poli- 
tical state, to the persons who governed them, 
and to the manners of their inhabitants, extend 
our sphere of liberal inquiry and useful informa- 
tion : whilst the diversity and importance of the 
transactions related, the judgment manifested 
in the selection of circumstances, the simpli- 
city and elegance of the language, and withal 
the marks of candour, integrity, and veracity, 
which pervade the narration, cannot fail of 
raising our opinion of the author, whom the 
general testimony of Christian antiquity, as 
well as the internal evidence of the work itself, 
concur in declaring to be St. Luke. Thus, 
little known to us in the detail of facts relating 
to himself, he has been the instrument of con- 
veying to us the history of many particulars, 
related in the most interesting manner, in the 
primitive Church : and without doubt it will be 
readily conceded, that he, whose writings have 
been such a fruitful source of information, de- 
light, instruction, and improvement to every 
member of the Church, cannot but deserve to 
be held by the Church in grateful and perpetual 
remembrance. 

And here, again, let this part of the character 
of our Evangelist be made an occasion for our 
improvement. His. Gospel. 'as there hath been 



508 Luke, the beloved physician. 



already opportunity to remark, and it may be 
equally remarked that his history of the Acts of 
the Apostles, which indeed is a continuation or 
sequel of " the former treatise," was written for 
the benefit of Christians, that they might " know 
the certainty of those things wherein they have 
beeninstructed." And if we would be thoroughly 
grounded in our holy faith, we must be diligent 
in the study of these, as well as of the other 
holy Scriptures, which " God hath caused to be 
written for our learning." With whatever sub- 
ject men are desirous of being acquainted, they 
must of necessity study the elements of it, and 
have recourse to those sources from whence in- 
formation is to be drawn. Neglect of this so 
obvious a course of proceeding cannot but leave 
them in ignorance of the subject. The truth of 
this maxim is incontrovertible; and it is as ap- 
plicable to religion as to all the other concerns 
of life. Neither religious knowledge, nor any 
other knowledge, comes by intuition ; but it is 
the result of a careful application of the means, 
which God has provided for our instruction. 
One of these means, with respect, that is, to re- 
ligions knowledge, is the study of the Scriptures. 
Disregard of this salutary provision leaves some 
men in a state of infidelity, and others, who pro- 
fess and call themselves Christians, in a state of 
most deplorable ignorance as to the foundation 



Luke the beloved physician. 



509 



and the articles of their professed belief: 
whereas, would men but give that attention to 
the subject, which its paramount importance 
demands, availing themselves withal of those 
assistances towards understanding the Scrip, 
tures, with which the providence of God has 
furnished them, they could hardly be destitute 
of a Christian hope, or of the power of u giving 
an answer to every man that asketh them a 
reason of the hope that is in them"." 

Let such be the conduct of any one, who is 
desirous of knowing " the certainty of those 
things, wherein Christians have been instructed;'* 
and such in all probability will by God's grace 
be the result. Let him study the narratives of 
"the beloved Physician," " the brother, whose 
praise is in the Gospel/' and of the other his- 
torians of our Lord's life and ministry. Let 
him compare the events which they record with 
the prophecies to which they refer. Let him 
examine with accuracy the circumstances of 
of all the wonderful works which they relate. 
Let him dwell on the parables of our blessed 
Saviour, and on his other lessons of divine 
wisdom ; and withal on the unexampled righ- 
teousness and purity of his character and ac- 
tions, and on the singular circumstances of his 



n 1 Pet. iii. 15. 



510 



Lake, the beloved physician. 



death and resurrection. Let him pass from the 
Gospels to the other work of our Evangelist : 
and there observe the fulfilment of our Saviour's 
promises to his disciples in the descent of the 
Holy Ghost after his ascension ; the preaching, 
miracles, and sufferings of his Apostles ; the 
propagation and establishment of the Gospel ; 
the martyrdom of St. Stephen ; the call of Cor- 
nelius ; the conversion of St. Paul, and his subse- 
quent labours, and persecutions, and abandon- 
ment of every worldly pleasure and emolument 
for the sake of Christ: and, provided he be in- 
dued with common sense and integrity, he will 
hardly fail of ranking himself amongst the be- 
lievers in Christianity, delivered unto us, as it 
is, upon the authority of those, " which from 
the beginning were eye-witnesses and ministers 
of the word," and who have " had perfect un- 
derstanding of all things from the very first." 

We have thus endeavoured to further the de- 
sign of the Church, in providing for the comme- 
moration of the Saint, whose festival is fixed on 
this day; "Luke, the beloved physician;" the 
companion, fellow-labourer, and comforter of 
St. Paul ; " the brother, whose praise is in the 
Gospel throughout all the churches." Upon 
the whole he has appeared before us as an 
amiable and estimable man, as a faithful dis- 
ciple of our Lord Jesus Christ, and as a most 



Luke, the beloved physician, 51 1 



valuable contributor to our treasures of religious 
knowledge. The use to be made by us of these 
his good qualities and his exertions in the 
cause of our holy religion, is to thank God for 
his example and for his writings; to imitate in 
our practice the graces which adorn his charac- 
ter, and to make the truths and precepts, which 
he has delivered to us, the rule of our lives, and 
the foundation of our faith and of our hopes. 
And thou, " Almighty God, who calledst Luke 
the Physician, whose praise is in the Gospel, to 
be an Evangelist and Physician of souls ; may it 
please thee, that, by the wholesome medicines 
of the doctrine delivered by him, all the dis- 
eases of our souls may be healed ; through the 
merits of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen" 

" 0 Lord of all power and might, who art 
the Author and Giver of all good things; Graft 
in our hearts the love of thy name, increase in 
us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, 
and of thy great mercy keep us in the same, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.'" 

" p O God, who declarest thy almighty power 
most chiefly in shewing mercy and pity, mer- 
cifully grant unto us such a measure of thy 



° Collect for the 7th Sunday after Trinity. '* Collect 

for the 11th Sunday after Trinity. 



512 



Luke, the beloved physician. 



grace, that we, running the way of thy com- 
mandments, may obtain thy gracious promises, 
and be made partakers of thy heavenly trea- 
sure, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen" 



Luke, tho' 'twas not thy praise to stand 
Among the Saviour's chosen band ; 
Nor thine perchance the lot to see 
That Saviour's flesh-veil'd majesty; 
Nor martyr's palm perchance be thine, 
Nor martyr's wreath thy brow intwine ; 
Yet many a plea hast thou to prove 
Thy title to the Christian's love. 

Partner of him, whose valued name 
Their own the Gentile churches claim ; 
'Twas thine with holy Paul to share 
His perils, toils, fatigue, and care ; 
With him the wintry deep to try ; 
With him the lion's jaws defy ; 
At large, th' associate of his way ; 
In bonds, his solace and his stay. 

Physician lov'd, 'twas thine to ease 
The racking anguish of disease, 
And with a lenient hand dispense 
Refreshment to the wounded sense : 
'Tis thine, Physician lov'd, from sin, 
That fell disease that dwells within, 
To cleanse the sufferer, and impart 
Sweet comfort to his fainting heart. 



Luke 9 the beloved physician. 513 

Evangelist, whose record true 
The Saviour's life hath given to view, 
Whose praise is in the Gospel heard, 
That praise be with thy brethren shar'd : 
But that by pen inspir'd are told 
The fortunes of the infant fold, 
Such praise is due to thee alone, 
And, Luke, this honour is thine own. 

Physician of the soul, belov'd ! 
Evangelist, by Paul approv'd ! 
Or, whom by other name we call, 
Companion, helper, friend of Paul I 
By thee assured, with clearer eye 
Faith reads her title to the sky : 
And where does Charity avow 
A son more goodly, Luke, than thou ? 



l1 



ST. SIMON AND ST. JUDE. 



Simon called Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. 
Luke vi. 15, 16. 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ST. SIMON 
ZELOTES. 

THE festival of this day affords a second in- 
stance of a double commemoration ; namely, of 
the two Saints, 44 Simon called Zelotes, and Judas 
the brother of James/' as they are named by St. 
Luke both in his Gospel and in the Acts ; or, 
as they are named by St. Matthew, " Lebbaeus 
whose surname was Thaddaeus, and Simon the 
Canaanite." Their association by the Church 
in the same festival may possibly have been 
founded on a tradition, that they travelled and 
preached the Gospel together in Persia, and 
were together crowned with martyrdom 1 . The 

a Dr. Cave, 



516 



Simon called Zelotes, 



tradition itself appears to have no good au- 
thority, though it may have been the occasion 
for their being celebrated together in the Ro- 
mish breviary ; and the association having been 
once formed, there was no urgent cause for de- 
parting from it in the protestant Church; the 
rather, as of one of the two, namely Simon, 
the history recorded in the Gospels, as well as 
in ecclesiastical writers, is extremely scanty. 
Since he is mentioned first in the Calendar, as 
well as by St, Luke, we will first proceed with 
our notice of him. 

The parentage of Simon is uncertain. By 
some writers he is supposed with considerable 
confidence to be one of the four persons 
reckoned by St. Matthew and St. Mark among 
our Lord's brethren. Dean Stanhope says, 
there is little reason to doubt it ; but assigns 
no reason for the opinion. By others this sup- 
position is with equal confidence denied. Dr. 
Cave observes, that " no other evidence appears 
for it, but that there was a Simon, one of the 
number: too infirm a foundation," he adds, 
" to build any thing more upon than a mere 
conjecture." It may be added on the negative 
side, that whereas Judas is distinctly called 
"the brother of James," who is designated by 
St. Paul as " the Lord's brother," and is thus 
identified with Judas named among the Lord's 



arid Judas the brother of James. 517 



brethren by St. Matthew and St. Mark ; whilst 
Simon the Apostle is not any where styled the 
brother of James, but is named with another 
distinctive appellation, as " Simon the Canaan- 
ite" or " Simon Zelotes;"it may be judged 
more reasonable to adopt the opinion of those, 
who think that he was not one of our Lord^s 
brethren. 

In the catalogue of the Apostles he is called 
sometimes "Simon the Canaanite," and some- 
times " Simon Zelotes:" for the purpose, as it 
should seem, of distinguishing him from Simon 
Peter. From the resemblance of sound in the 
former of these appellations, he has been by 
some persons regarded as a native of Cana in 
Galilee : by others, as the bridegroom, at whose 
marriage feast our Lord performed his first mi- 
racle. But the name has no reference either to 
his country, or to his place of nativity or of 
residence : it has in fact the same signification 
with the other name " Zelotes ;" being derived 
from a Hebrew word, as the other is from a 
Greek word, both signifying zeal ; and the name 
is correctly rendered in English as "the Zealot." 

The cause of the name being given him is 
not ascertained : whether to denote the per- 
sonal warmth and vigour of his character; or 
to intimate that he was a member of the Jewish 
sect of the Zealots; a sect distinguished for the 



518 



Simon called Zelotes, 



zeal, with which they asserted the honour of 
their law, and the strictness and purity of their 
religion, but which had degenerated into licen- 
tiousness and extravagance, and rendered them 
the cause of great miseries to their own nation, 
as is related at length by Josephus in his his- 
tory of the Jewish war. "That the name was 
given to Simon on this account, is hardly to be 
doubted," says Dr. Cave : and, if so, " his con- 
version," as Dean Stanhope observes, " is the 
more remarkable ; for nothing could be more 
opposite to the meekness and gentleness of 
Christianity, than the irregularity and fierceness 
of spirit, by which this sect was actuated." 

The only particular concerning him in the Gos- 
pels is his call to the Apostleship; and the only 
other occasion, on which he is named in the 
New Testament, is that of the assembling of 
the Apostles at Jerusalem after our Lord's 
ascension. Upon the dispersion of the Apostles, 
Egypt, Cyrene, Africa, Mauritania, and the 
barbarous parts of Libya, are said to have 
been the scenes of his ministry ; which is also 
reported to have been extended to Britain and 
the Western Islands. But the authorities for 
such statements are of comparatively recent 
date, and of no high character. Persia and 
Britain contend for the distinction of being his 
place of burial : the former being alleged by the 



and Judas the brother of James. 519 

Roman breviaries and martyrologies ; the lat- 
ter by the Greek menologies, which state him 
to have gone at last into Britain, where, having 
enlightened the minds of many by the doctrine 
of the Gospel, he was crucified by the unbe- 
lieving inhabitants, and buried in that country. 
" He has been sometimes confounded with 
Simeon, who was successor of St. James the 
Just in the see of Jerusalem, and was crucified 
in the 120th year of his age in the persecution 
under Trajan : but the two persons are suffi- 
ciently distinguished in the writings of the 
Church V 

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF 
ST. JUDE, 

The other Saint commemorated on this day 
is described by the several names of Judas, ren- 
dered by us Jude, Thaddaeus, and Lebbaeus ; 
according to a practice before noticed as pre- 
vailing among the Jews, of calling the same 
person by different appellations. Of the two 
first of these names the signification appears to 
be much the same, being both derived from the 
same Hebrew root ; and Thaddaeus has been 
judged by learned men to be only a substitute 



* Dr, Cave. 



520 Simon called Zelotes, 



for Judas, used probably in a principal degree 
for the purpose of distinguishing this Apostle 
from the traitor of the same name. For his 
other name Lebbaeus different reasons have 
been assigned : the most probable may be 
esteemed that suggested by Dr. Lightfoot, who 
conjectures that the name may have been de- 
rived from the place of his nativity, as having 
been born at Lebba ; a town, of which Pliny 
speaks in the province of Galilee, not far from 
Mount Carmel, though Dr. Cave questions the 
correctness of the reading, and supposes the 
name of the town intended by Pliny to have 
been Jebba. It was however supposed by 
Jerome, that both names were given in com- 
mendation of the good qualities of wisdom and 
zeal which distinguished him: " the name of 
Lebbaeus denoting prudence and understanding, 
and that of Thaddaeus signifying a person 
zealous in praising God V 

Judas was " the brother of James that is, 
of James the Less, the son of Alphaeus and our 
Lord's brother ; and he is mentioned in St. 
Matthew's Gospel among the number of Christ's 
brethren. In his own Epistle he styles himself 
44 the brother of James," as he is also called in 
St. Luke's Gospel and in the Acts. And the 



b Mr. Nelson. 



and Judas the brother of James. 521 



style is adopted with propriety ; because St. 
James was not only the elder brother, but was 
also much distinguished among the Apostles 
after our Saviour's ascension, and in great re- 
pute among the Jewish believers c , as we have 
already seen in our notice of that Apostle. 

There is no account of St. Jude's call to the 
Apostleship, nor of any occurrence in which he 
was particularly concerned, except that upon 
occasion of our Lord's affectionate discourse 
with his disciples, as recorded by St. John, 
a short time before his last sufferings, when he 
promised that he would manifest himself to 
them who loved him and kept his command- 
ments, our Apostle interrupted him with the 
question, " Lord, how r is it that thou wilt mani- 
fest thyself unto us, and not unto the world d ?" 
He evidently laboured under the common pre- 
judice concerning the kingdom of the Messiah ; 
and he inquired with surprise, how Jesus 
could speak of manifesting himself to a few 
only, when he was about to establish an uni- 
versal monarchy in great power and splen- 
dour. The question led to a fuller explanation 
on our Lord's part of those peculiar favours 
and influences from his Father and from him- 
self, which the faithful should not fail of en- 



c Dr. Lardner. 



11 John xiv. 22, 



522 



Simon called Zelotes, 



joying to their infinite comfort, and of which 
his Apostles in particular should have a satis- 
factory assurance, when he should come again 
among them after his resurrection, and bestow 
among them the gift of " the Comforter, the 
Holy Ghost." 

Of that gift in common with the other Apo- 
stles, in the enumeration of whom after our 
LoixPs ascension St. Jude is named 6 , there is 
no doubt that this Apostle partook: and that 
he joined with them in bearing an open tes- 
timony in Jerusalem to our Lord's resurrection; 
and that he partook with them in the reproaches 
and other sufferings which they endured on 
that account; although there are no particulars 
mentioned of him in the sacred history. 

It is reasonable to suppose, that he after- 
wards for some time preached the Gospel in 
several parts of the land of Israel : nor is there 
any reason to make it appear unlikely, although 
there is no ancient authority for affirming', as 
has been affirmed by more recent writers, that 
he travelled through Samaria into Idumea; and 
to the cities of Arabia, and the neighbouring 
countries ; and afterwards to Syria and Meso- 
potamia; and finally as far as Persia^. 

e Acts i. 13. f Dr. Lardner. § Dr. Cave, Dean 
Stanhope. 



and Judas the brother of James. 523 



The account of his journey to Edessa, whi- 
ther Jerome says that ecclesiastical history re- 
ported him to have been sent to Abgarus, king 
of Osroene, is generally agreed to have been 
by that father inaccurately told of the Apostle 
St. Jude; and to belong rather to another Thad- 
daeus, one of Christ's seventy disciples, who is 
said by Eusebius to have been sent thither by 
Thomas, one of the twelve Apostles, to preach 
the Gospel in those countries 11 . 

Of his death there is no account that can be 
received with confidence. Dr. Cave observes, 
that " by the almost general consent of the 
writers of the Latin Church he is said to have 
travelled into Persia, where, after great success 
in his apostolical ministry for many years, he 
was at last for his free and open reproofs of 
the superstitious rites and usages of the Magi, 
cruelly put to death." But of these things 
there remains not any credible history. In- 
deed, as Dr. Lardner remarks, it may be ques- 
tioned whether St. Jude was a martyr; and he 
assigns some reasons, which make it appear 
probable that he was not. 

An anecdote is told by Hegesippus, as quoted 
inEusebius's Ecclesiastical History, concerning 
some of the posterity of St. Jude, which, if it 



h Dr. Lardner. 



524 



Simon called Zelotes, 



may be relied on, proves that our Apostle was 
married and had children, and makes it not im- 
probable that he had been himself by occupa- 
tion a husbandman. The story is, "that when 
Domitian made inquiries after the posterity of 
David, some grandsons of Jude, called the 
Lord's brother, were brought before him. Being- 
asked concerning their possessions and sub- 
stance, they assured him, that they had only 
so many acres of land, out of the improvement 
of which they both paid him tribute, and main- 
tained themselves with their own hard labour. 
The truth of what they said was confirmed by 
the callousness of their hands. Being asked 
concerning Christ and his kingdom, of what 
kind it was, and when it would appear, they 
answered, that it was not worldly and earthly, 
but heavenly and angelical : that it would be 
manifested at the end of the world : when 
coming in great glory he would judge the living 
and the dead, and render to every man accord- 
ing to his works. The men being mean, and 
their principles harmless, they were dismissed." 
From a work, which bears the name of the 
Apostolical Constitutions, written in the early 
ages of Christianity, there is ground for sup- 
posing that one at least of the Apostles was a 
husbandman : and Dr. Lardner suggests from 
the foregoing narrative, that St. Jude may per- 



and Judas the brother of James. 595 



haps be argued to have been engaged in that 
employment. 

St. Jude left behind him one short Epistle, 
addressed " to them that are sanctified by God 
the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and 
called :" apparently therefore intended for the 
use of all Christians in general. The design of 
it seems to be to expose in their true light the 
principles and practices of some corrupters of 
the Gospel truth. There is a great agreement 
in subject and design between this Epistle, and 
the second of St. Peter ; and they were pro- 
bably written about the same time, namely, 
about the year 64, 65, or 66. Some expressions 
in the Epistle itself, for instance in the 17th and 
18th verses, appear to imply, that several of 
the Apostles had left the world, and few of 
them were still surviving; and from the lan- 
guage in the 3d and 5th verses it may be in- 
ferred, that now some considerable time had 
passed, since the whole scheme of the Christian 
doctrine had been published to the world, and 
since the persons, to whom the Apostle was 
writing, were first instructed in it. 

REFLEXIONS. 

The notices of these Apostles, of whom so 
little is recorded either in holy writ or in eccle- 



.526 



Simon called Zelotes, 



siastical history, will give occasion to no very 
extended reflexions. Of Simon indeed, as 
there is no fact recorded in Scripture except 
his Apostleship, so there is none which can be 
confidently relied upon in the subsequent 
writings of the Church. Why it pleased the 
providence of God, that so little should be 
transmitted to succeeding ages of the Acts of 
this Apostle, and not of this Apostle only, but 
of many others his brethren in the Apostleship, 
it may not be easy to determine ; unless we be 
contented to suppose, that God gave them that 
support and ability which were requisite for the 
discharge of their ministry, and gave to their 
ministry that efficacy which was requisite for 
causing it to operate upon the minds of men, 
and then left the history of the Apostles and 
of their labours to the ordinary course of na- 
tural events, the recording of their acts being 
not needed for the great purpose of extending 
and maintaining his religion in the world. 

It might indeed have been expected, that 
in the common progress of events, and as a 
natural consequence of the feelings, which ani- 
mate the hearts and actuate the conduct of 
mankind, the acts and sufferings and labours 
of the Apostles in the conversion of the world 
would have been studiously recorded by those, 
who had derived benefit from their teaching, 



and Judas the brother of James. 527 

and been directed by their instrumentality, un- 
der the blessing of the divine Spirit, to the know- 
ledge and belief of theSaviour. Such was thecase 
with respect to the Apostles, if we may so term 
them, of reformed Christianity, whose memories 
were cherished with zealous attachment by 
those, on whom they had shed the dayspring 
of purified religion; and all whose actions from 
their cradles to their graves were recorded at 
the period of their suffering with affectionate 
and grateful fidelity. But the cause of our dis- 
appointment with respect to the primitive Apo- 
stles of our Lord may perhaps, in some degree 
at least, be suggested, by their migratory way 
of life, their uncertain residences, and the short 
periods during which they were in all proba- 
bility stationary in any particular place ; by 
their unobtrusive and unostentatious character; 
by the small space which they, as well as their 
religion, occupied in the eye of the politician, 
and by the neglect which they, together with 
their religion, experienced from men devoted 
to the philosophical and literary pursuits of the 
age ; by the general absence of " the wisdom of 
this world" in those, whom God called by them 
to the profession of the Gospel, even in the 
most polished nations ; by the remoteness from 
each other, and the little mutual intercourse, of 
the several countries where they preached ; by 



528 



Simon called Zelotes, 



the rude and uncultivated state of the inha- 
bitants of several of these countries; and by 
the difficulty of recording events even at the 
time and in the places of their occurrence, and 
of communicating the records, if made, to 
other places and times. 

Such considerations may possibly account 
in some measure for the scantiness of the in- 
formation possessed by us concerning the lives 
and acts of many of our Lord's Apostles. But 
whatever the causes may have been, the fact is 
notorious. From the early history of the Church 
we learn, that in the course of a few years from 
the ascension of our Saviour his religion had 
been preached, and made its way, through the 
instrumentality of his Apostles, over the most 
distant regions of the then known world ; from 
the different extremes of Scythia, and of Mau- 
ritania and the southern Ethiopia, to Parthia 
and India eastward, and to the furthest bounds 
of the west. But of those who preached and 
propagated it, we know comparatively little ; 
as is particularly true with respect to the for- 
mer, or rather to both, of the Saints of this 
day. 

One valuable practical reflexion may be 
drawn from this fact ; namely, that as they, 
who were employed in this the most important 
service ever intrusted to the hands of men, ap- 



and Judas the brother of James. 



539 



By the earthquake's powerful shock ; 
By the opening of the rock; 
By thy triumph o'er the grave, 
Meek to suffer, strong to save ; 
By the serpent's bruised head ; 
By thy captors captive led; 
By thy re-ascent to heaven; 
By thy Holy Spirit given, 
When on thy Apostles came 
Hushing wind, and tongues of flame : 
Lord, thy presence let me see, 
Manifest thyself to me ! 

Lord of glory, God most high, 
Man exalted to the sky, 
God and man, to thee I cry ! 
With thy love my bosom fill ; 
Prompt me to perform thy will ; 
Grant me, what thou bidd'st, to do ; 
What thou proffer'st, to pursue : 
So may He, the Sire above, 
Guard me with a parent's love ! 
So may He, the Spirit blest, 
Whisper comfort, hope, and rest ! 
So mayst Thou, my Saviour, come, 
Make this froward heart thy home, 
And manifest thyself to me 
In the triune Deity ! 



and Judas the brother of James. 529 

pear to have been little anxious about promoting 
and perpetuating their own honour, so God 
probably designed us to understand by the ex- 
ample, that it is not the honour of men, which 
those who come after them, in the preaching or in 
the profession of his Gospel, ought to propose 
to themselves for their reward, in the further- 
ance of his will and in the execution of their 
duty. If honour from men be given, it is to be 
acquiesced in, under a sense of gratitude and 
humility before the Lord of all. Men at least 
should bestow it, where it is deserved: if things 
are " lovely" and deserving " of good report," 
with affection and good report they should be 
esteemed of. And thus we honour and com- 
memorate, as we deem to be our duty, with 
suitable solemnity " the glorious company of 
the Apostles" and " the noble army of martyrs," 
who have toiled and bled for the faith of Christ. 
But whether or not they may have been, or 
now may be, honoured by men, is to them of no 
consequence : nor will our condition in that 
particular be eventually of any consequence to 
us. Suffice it that we endeavour, faithfully and 
with a good conscience, to do our duty in that 
state of life, to which it may please God to call 
us; and whether our names be circulated and 
live in the mouths of our fellow-creatures, or 
sink in obscurity and silence, it will matter not 

m m 



530 



Simon called Zelotes, 



in that day, when " to them who by patient con- 
tinuance in well-doing seek for glory and ho- 
nour and immortality," God will render 44 glory, 
honour, and peace:" when " them that honour 
him, he will honour, and they only , that despise 
him shall be lightly esteemed." 

Thus much with regard to the little notoriety, 
in a worldly view, of these, and of others of the 
Apostles. Meanwhile the only incident, in 
which St. Jude is related to have borne apart, 
may lead to a reflexion on his want of discern- 
ment, in confounding his own gross and tem- 
poral notions of the character of our Lord with 
those spiritual notions, which our Lord himself 
purposed to convey. Our Saviour spoke of 
" manifesting himself to his disciples;" meaning 
that he would grant special manifestations of his 
favour to those who should be specially quali- 
fied to receive them. Judas asked, 44 How is 
it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and 
not unto the world V\ The same object being- 
presented to the outward vision of different be- 
holders, it is not in the course of nature that it 
should be seen by some, and not seen by others. 
The manifestation therefore of Christ to his dis- 
ciples, supposing such manifestation to be in a 
gross temporal sense, must have implied a ma- 
nifestation of him to others likewise, or gene- 
rally to the world at large. But the mani- 



and Judas the brother of James. 



531 



festation, of which our Lord spoke, was that 
spiritual manifestation of himself to the inward 
man, which was to be spiritually discerned: 
and the distinction teaches us to see, that, how- 
ever men may resemble each other in temporal 
qualities, so as to have the like perception of 
sensible objects, they may be very different 
from each other in their perception of spiritual 
objects, since the manifestation of our Lord to 
his disciples did not imply in it a manifestation 
of him to the world at large. 

The answer of our Lord both admits the dis- 
tinction, and at the same time explains it. " If 
a man love me, he will keep my words : and 
my Father will love him, and we will come unto 
him, and make our abode with him." Whence 
we learn, that, in order to our enjoyment of a 
manifestation of our Saviour to our hearts, it is 
in the first place necessary that we love him ; 
according' to those numerous declarations by 
himself and by his inspired messengers, which 
represent the love of God and of Christ as the 
foundation of the duty of man. And secondly 
we learn the necessity of obeying him : " If a 
man love me, he will keep my words." " He 
that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings." 
And certainly no one sentiment is more dis- 
tinctly, more earnestly, more frequently incul- 
cated in Scripture, than the futility of all pre- 



532 Simon called Zelotes, 



tensions to the love of God and our Saviour, 
which are not evidenced by the keeping of the 
divine commandments. To those who do love 
their Redeemer, and who do testify their love 
by their obedience, we are here further taught 
by him, that they shall enjoy the love of God in 
return : that the Father and the Son, by the 
Spirit, will come unto them, and will make 
their abode with them, bestowing on them 
greater accessions of spiritual knowledge, and 
continual strength and comfort in the Holy 
Ghost; in a word bestowing upon them that 
special manifestation of the Son of God, which, 
whilst it is not communicated to the unbelieving 
world, or to the professing but inconsistent be- 
liever, is the peculiar property and privilege of 
his faithful and obedient disciples. 

One word may be added, with reference to 
the Epistle left for the benefit of the Church by 
one of the Saints of this day; the same, to whose 
dialogue with our Lord we have been just ad- 
verting. Particular temporary considerations 
gave occasion for the Apostle to address that 
Epistle to the members of the Christian com- 
munity ; and to " exhort them to contend ear- 
nestly for the faith which was once delivered 
unto the saints/* These peculiar considerations 
need not occupy our thoughts at present. But 
the result of them on the mind of the Apostle is 



and Judas the brother of James. 533 



at all times and under all circumstances worthy 
of being held in remembrance. " The faith 
which was once delivered unto the saints," or 
the faith preached by the Apostles to the first 
Christians, was intended by Him who taught 
it, to be at all times maintained for the guidance 
of the future members of the Church : and if at 
any time that faith be assaulted or slighted, or 
be in danger of corruption or mutilation, at 
such time 4 4 it is needful'* for the successors of 
St. Jude and of his brethren in (he Apostolate 
" to write" or speak unto their brother Chris- 
tians, and ;< exhort them that they should ear- 
nestly contend for that faith;" and " it is need- 
ful" for all those, who deem reverently of the 
Christian verity, "earnestly to contend for it." 

What are the several particulars of the faith, 
for which it is needful that we so contend, it 
may be unnecessary here to say more, than that 
they are contained in the volume of the holy 
Scriptures ; and compendiously in the three 
Creeds, which are founded upon the certain 
warranty of holy Scripture, derived from the 
early ages of Christianity, and adopted into 
the services of our Apostolical and Scriptural 
Church. At the same time it may be useful to 
remark, both upon its own account, and also 
with a view to the dialogue which passed be- 
tween our Saviour and St. Jude, which has been 



534 



Simon called Zelotes, 



the subject of our previous reflexions, and the 
matter of which we cannot possibly suppose to 
have been indifferent to our Apostle, that a very 
important portion of the Christian faith is com- 
prised in the duty of those, who profess them- 
selves believers in the Gospel, to love and obey 
their Redeemer; in the encouragement which 
they are then intitled to expect from the Father 
and the Son, who will come unto them, and 
make their abode with them ; and in the com- 
munication of all spiritual blessings through the 
agency of " the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, 
whom the Father will send in his Son's name." 
In a word, not only the existence of the three 
holy Persons in the divine nature, but their 
co-operation also in the work of grace for the 
present edification and comfort, and the future 
salvation, of the Church of Christ, is an essen- 
tial article in the Christian religion: and it is 
one, for the maintenance of which no Christian 
can feel indifference, if he values the exhortation 
of the Apostle, one of the Saints of this day, to 
" contend earnestly for the faith which was 
once delivered unto the saints." 

Collects. 

" O Almighty God, who hast built thy 
Church upon the foundation of the Apostles 
and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the 



and Judas the brother of James. 



535 



head corner-stone; Grant us so to be joined toge- 
ther in unity of spirit by their doctrine, that we 
may be made an holy temple acceptable unto 
thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen*." 

" O God, whose blessed Son was manifested 
that he might destroy the works of the devil, 
and make us the sons of God and heirs of 
eternal life ; Grant us, we beseech thee, that, 
having this hope, we may purify ourselves even 
as he is pure ; that when he shall appear again 
with power and great glory, we may be made 
like unto him in his eternal and glorious king- 
dom ; where with thee, O Father, and thee, O 
Holy Ghost, he liveth and reigneth, ever one 
God, world without end. Amen b ." 

"Almighty and everlasting God, who hast 
given unto us thy servants grace by the confes- 
sion of a true faith to acknowledge the glory 
of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the 
divine Majesty to worship the Unity ; We be- 
seech thee that thou wouldest keep us stedfast 
in this faith, and evermore defend us from all 
adversities, who livest and reignest, one God, 
world without end. Amen c " 

a Collect for the day. b For the 6th Sunday after 

Epiphany. c For Trinity Sunday. 



536 



Simon called Zelotes, 



Saviour, who, exalted high 
In thy Father's majesty, 
Yet vouchsafest thyself to shew 
To thy faithful flock below ; 
Foretaste of that blissful sight, 
When array'd in glorious light, 
Beaming with paternal grace, 
They shall see thee face to face : 
Saviour, tho' this earthy shroud 
Now my mortal vision cloud, 
Still thy presence let me see, 
Manifest thyself to me ! 

Son of God, to thee I cry I 
By the holy mystery 
Of thy dwelling here on earth ; 
By thy pure and holy birth, 
Offspring of the Virgin's womb ; 
By the light, thro' midnight gloom 
Bursting on the shepherds' gaze; 
By the Angels' song of praise ; 
By the leading of the star, 
The eastern sages' guide from far ; 
By their gifts, with worship meet 
Offei'd at thy infant feet : 
Lord, thy presence let me see, 
Manifest thyself to me ! 

Son of man, to thee I cry ! 
By thy holy infancy ; 
By the rite, when first began 
Thy keeping of the law for man ; 



and Judas the brother of James. 537 



By thy early duty vow'd, 
A firstborn, in the house of God ; 
By the wisdom past thine age, 
Questions deep, and answers sage, 
While the listening elders heard 
Rapture-struck each wondrous word : 
Lord, thy presence let me see, 
Manifest thyself to me ! 

Jesus, Saviour, hear me cry ! 
By thy lowly piety ; 
By the hallowed water shed 
Duly on thy righteous head ; 
By thy fasting, lone and long, 
Borne the savage beasts among, 
In the desert's solitude ; 
By the tempter's wiles subdued ; 
By thy triple conquest won ; 
Proofs of God's beloved Son : 
Lord, thy presence let me see, 
Manifest thyself to me. 

Christ, Anointed, hear me cry ! 
By thy awful ministry ; 
By thy works with mercy fraught, 
Wisely plann'd, and greatly wrought; 
By thy lessons, just and sure, 
Doctrines true, and precepts pure ; 
By the lore thy actions teach, 
Sinless life, and guileless speech ; 
By the signs, with grace endued, 
The cleansing font, the heavenly food : 
Lord, thy presence let me see, 
Manifest thyself to me ! 



538 



Simon called Zelotes, 



Lamb of God, to thee I cry ! 
By thy bitter agony ; 
By the blood thy flesh distilPd ; 
By thy soul with anguish thrill'd ; 
By thy visage, marr'd and soil'd; 
By thy form, of beauty spoil'd, 
In the robe of scorn array'd, 
Taunted, mock'd, revil'd, betray'd, 
Smitten, bound, with scourges torn, 
Griding nails, and platted thorn ; 
By thy lip all parch'd and dry ; 
By thy loud desponding cry ; 
By thy spirit's parting groan ; 
By thy pangs to us unknown, 
Felt by thee, and thee alone : 
Lord, thy presence let me see, 
Manifest thyself to me ! 

Man of sorrows, hear me cry ! 

By thy great humility ; 

By thy meekly-bowed head ; 

By thy gentle spirit fled 

To the mansions of the dead ; 

By the wound, whence issuing flow'd 

Water mingled with thy blood; 

By thy breathless body laid 

In the rock's sepulchral shade, 

Where man ne'er before repos'd, 

Straitly watch'd, securely clos'd : 

Lord, thy presence let me see, 

Manifest thyself to me ! 

Prince of life, to thee I cry ! 
By thy glorious majesty ; 



and Judas the brother of James. 



By the earthquake's powerful shock ; 
By the opening of the rock ; 
By thy triumph o'er the grave, 
Meek to suffer, strong to save ; 
By thy re -ascent to heaven ; 
By the serpent's bruised head ; 
By thy captors captive led ; 
By thy Holy Spirit given, 
When on thy Apostles came 
Bushing wind, and tongues of flame 
Lord, thy presence let me see, 
Manifest thyself to me ! 

Lord of glory, God most high, 
Man exalted to the sky, 
God and man, to thee I cry ! 
With thy love my bosom fill ; 
Prompt me to perform thy will ; 
Grant me, what thou bidd'st, to do ; 
What thou proffer'st, to pursue : 
So may He, the Sire above, 
Guard me with a parent's love ! 
So may He 3 the Spirit blest, 
Whisper comfort, hope, and rest ! 
So mayst Thou, my Saviour, come, 
Make this froward heart thy home, 
And manifest thyself to me 
In the triune Deity ! 



ALL SAINTS. 



The spirits of just men made perfect. Heb. xii. 23. 



HISTORICAL NOTICE OF ALL SAINTS' DAY. 

The church, having in the course of her an- 
nual services commemorated those individuals 
whom she esteems worthy of singular honour, 
and having now arrived nearly at the end of the 
ecclesiastical year, brings her series of comme- 
morative festivals to a close, by devoting one 
to the memory of " All Saints." 

The Saints, intended to be commemorated on 
this occasion, are those holy persons, who 
having been sanctified by their admission into 
the Christian Church, and having under the in- 
fluence of the Spirit of holiness endeavoured 
to serve God on earth in a manner correspond- 
ing to their holy vocation, are removed hence 
in order to their admission into a state of su- 
perior holiness and happiness. 



542 The spirits of just men made perfect. 

For the term " Saints" is commonly used in 
the New Testament, particularly in St. Paul's 
Epistles, to denote Christians in general, be- 
cause they are set apart and separated from the 
world for sacred purposes, and consecrated to 
the service of God, and so lie under a neces- 
sary obligation to be true and real saints : so 
that in this comprehensive sense it is as large 
as the word " Christians ;" and stands opposed 
not to the unsound members of the Church of 
Christ, but to the world in general. In a more 
limited sense however it signifies those persons, 
who are " holy/* not by profession only, but in 
practice : who are Christians, not only in name 
but in deed. And in a sense still more limited 
it is confined to those, who having fulfilled 
their part in the Church militant here on earth, 
are gone, in the character of " the spirits of 
just men made perfect," to increase the number 
of the Church triumphant in heaven. It is for 
the commemoration of these holy persons, that 
the festival of this day is intended. 

That we mav have a clearer view however 
of the intention of the Church in this pro- 
vision, as well as of her admirable moderation 
and judgment in making it, we will take an 
historical survey of the circumstances which 
led to this appointment, thus supplying the 
place of our biographical notices on former oc- 



The spirits of just men made perfect. 543 

casions ; and will then have recourse to such 
reflexions, as may seem calculated to promote 
the purposes of the Church. 

The solemn recollection and commemoration 
of those deceased friends, whom we have 
highly esteemed in life, and who have been 
endeared to us after death by a sense of their 
excellence and their virtues, is agreeable to the 
common feelings of mankind : and this natural 
disposition would probably have prompted the 
early Christians to cherish with peculiar respect 
and affection the memory of those, who had 
been distinguished by " running with" exem- 
plary 44 patience the race that was set before 
them a ." But it has been supposed that they 
acted besides under the influence of that ex- 
hortation of the Apostle to the Hebrews, where- 
in he admonishes them, to 44 remember them 
which had the rule over them, who had spoken 
unto them the word of God : whose faith," 
saith the Apostle, " follow, considering the end 
of their conversation : Jesus Christ the same 
yesterday, and to-day, and for everV as if he 
had called on Christians, to pay a due and par- 
ticular respect to the memory of such as had 
been their spiritual guides, from a consideration 
of the constancy and perseverance, with which 



a Heb. xii. 2. 



b Heb. xiii. 7. 



544 The spirits of just men made perfect. 

they had continued in the faith and sealed it 
with their blood, in full hope of that crown of 
glory which Christ hath promised to them 
that are faithful to the death. And it has 
been further supposed, that the author of the 
Epistle may have alluded to the martyrdom of 
St. James, the son of Alphaeus, the first bishop 
of Jerusalem, who had not long before laid 
down his life for the testimony of Jesus 0 . 

But whatever may have led to the practice 
of periodically commemorating distinguished 
Saints in the Christian Church, the practice it- 
self is of high antiquity, and is recorded with 
various circumstances. Two of the most an- 
cient monuments of ecclesiastical history, which 
we possess, except the New r Testament, are the 
accounts of the martyrdom of Ignatius and 
Polycarp, both disciples of St. John, written at 
the time of their suffering by the Churches of 
Antioch and Smyrna, of which they were re- 
spectively bishops. In the account of the mar- 
tyrdom of Ignatius we find, that those who had 
been eye-witnesses of his sufferings, which are 
supposed by learned men to have happened 
about the year 110, published the day of his 
martyrdom for this reason, that the Church of 

c Mr. Wheatly, Mr. Xelson, Abp. Seeker. Some of the 
following remarks are taken from the same authors, but it 
has not been thought necessary to particularize them. 



The spirits of just men made perfect. 545 

Antioch might meet together at that time, to 
celebrate the memory of so valiant a champion 
and so faithful a martyr of Christ. After this 
we read of the Church of Smyrna giving an ac- 
count of Polycarp's martyrdom, which occurred 
about the year 168, and of the place where 
they had entombed his bones ; and withal pro- 
fessing, that they would periodically assemble 
in that place, and celebrate the birth-day of 
his martyrdom with joy and gladness; both in 
memory of the Saint who had suffered, and for 
the encouragement and preparation of those 
who might be called to suffer after his example. 

The other primitive Churches appear to have 
followed the same rule, as those of Antioch and 
Smyrna ; and each seems to have honoured the 
more eminent of its own martyrs, who had been 
usually its teachers also, by anniversary assem- 
blies for preserving the reverence due to their 
characters, and for offering up thanks to God 
for their examples. Tertullian, who has been 
remarked for his carefulness in recounting the 
practices of the primitive Church, affirms, that 
Christians were wont to celebrate yearly the 
days of the martyrs 5 birth, that is, of their suf- 
ferings, as a custom handed down in succession 
from their ancestors. In Constantine's time 
these days were commanded to be observed 
with great care and strictness ; and it was 

n n 



546 The spirits of just men made perfect. 

judged an instance of profaneness io be absent 
from the meetings of the Christians on such 
solemnities. 

The object of the festivals, and the manner in 
which they were observed, were at first equally 
innocent and unexceptionable, useful and praise- 
worthy. Professing, as in the case of the Church 
of Smyrna, that, whilst they "worshipped Christ 
as the Son of God," they " worthily loved the 
martyrs, as the disciples and followers of the 
Lord, and because of their invincible affection 
to their King and their Master they upon 
this account judged it reasonable to cherish 
their memories with all possible respect and 
honour ; partly that others might be encouraged 
to practise the same patience and fortitude, and 
partly that virtue, even in this world, might not 
lose its reward. 

Accordingly, in observation of these festivals, 
they made it their custom to assemble annually 
at the graves of the martyrs : there to make 
a solemn recital of their sufferings and their 
triumphs, to commend their virtues, and to 
bless God for their pious examples, for their 
holy lives, and for their happy deaths. At the 
same time they celebrated these days with sig- 
nal expressions of love and charity to the poor, 
and with mutual rejoicings and congratulations, 
which were distinguished by thei isobriety and 



The spirits of just men made perfect. 547 

temperance, and adapted to the modesty and 
simplicity of Christians. 

But by degrees these institutions were much 
abused, both as to the number of the festivals, 
and as to the manner of their celebration. Suc- 
ceeding ages were as eager, as those which had 
gone before, to appoint and observe festivals in 
honour of their own contemporaries. Persons, 
some perhaps of considerable merit, but who 
had not been distinguished by a pre-eminent 
degree of suffering or sanctity ; and others, 
whose pretensions to such distinction were of a 
very questionable character ; were from undue 
partiality, or with culpable incaution, admitted 
into the Liturgy of one Church, and thence 
without sufficient inquiry adopted into that of 
another. Thus the Calendar became crowded 
with the names of saints, which from the very 
frequency of their occurrence caused great in- 
convenience by the multiplication of holydays ; 
and many of which were but little calculated 
to produce edification in the minds of those who 
were engaged in their celebration. 

Meanwhile the manner of celebration had 
deviated from its original simplicity and harm- 
lessness into practices inconsistent with the 
purity of the Christian faith. The primitive 
Christians, as we have seen, commemorated the 
deaths of the first martyrs every year on the 



548 The spirits of just men made perfect. 

anniversary of the day on which they had suf- 
fered : and upon those occasions they pro- 
nounced orations, reciting the excellencies and 
the sufferings of the saint, who was the subject 
of the commemoration . Of such orations the 
earliest now extant are those of Gregory of 
Nazianzum, who lived towards the end of the 
fourth century of the Christian era li : a man of 
great piety and learning, but of a rhetorical and 
poetical genius ; and much devoted to the study 
of the celebrated rhetorician Isocrates, from 
whom he has been supposed to have borrowed 
much of his turn of thought and forms of ex- 
pression 6 . In the encomiastical orations, pro- 
nounced upon these occasions, which were com- 
posed with all the freedom and latitude of de- 
clamatory eloquence, there was frequently a 
sort of rhetorical address to the dead person, 
who was contemplated as enjoying happiness in 
heaven ; and a kind of petition to intercede with 
God in favour of those, who were paying that 
honour to his memory. This was at first ven- 
tured upon with doubtfulness and hesitation, and 
always with some such qualification as this, "If 
there be any sense or knowledge of what we do 
below.'* But these qualifications were gra- 
dually omitted : superstition assumed a more 



A Bp. Tomline. 



e Dr. Cave. 



The spirits of just men made perfect, 549 

decided form : and the orators addressed the 
dead with direct invocations and formal prayers, 
and solicited their assistance withoutany scruple 
or reserve. In the fifth century they prayed to 
God to listen to the intercessions of his saints 
and martyrs : at no distant period litanies were 
appropriated to them : and at length, by an easy 
transition, prayers were offered to them in the 
same manner as to God and Christ. Thus the 
invocation of saints was grafted upon the pri- 
mitive and simple commemoration of them, and 
became an established practice of the Christian 
Church : it was continued through the dark 
ages, which succeeded : and at length the 
Council of Trent in the 16th century decreed, 
that " all men are to be condemned who do not 
own, that the saints, reigning with Christ, offer 
their prayers to God for men ; and that it is 
useful to invoke them, to procure their assist- 
ance in asking God for blessings through 
Christ." 

At the Reformation these abuses were per- 
ceived and corrected. The word of God ap- 
peared to give no authority for invoking the 
departed, or for believing that they are man's 
intercessors at the throne of grace. On the 
contrary such belief and practice appeared to 
be at variance with the fundamental principles 
of Christian devotion, as laid down in the 



550 The spirits of just men made perfect. 

Apostle's positions; that " there is one God, 
and one Mediator between God and men, the 
man Christ Jesus and that " through him 
we have access to the Father f ." And so the 
Church pronounced in her 22d Article, that the 
"invocation of saints," together with other par- 
ticulars of "the Romish doctrine" therein spe- 
cified, "is a fond thing vainly invented, and 
grounded upon no warranty of Scripture, but 
rather repugnant to the word of God." And 
accordingly from the services, wherewith she 
continued the commemoration of saints, she 
excluded all invocation of them; every address 
immediately to themselves ; every recognition 
of them as mediators between God and men ; 
in short, every notice of them, direct or indirect, 
which adverted to them in such a manner, as if 
through their merits or intercession the divine 
favour was vouchsafed to man. 

At the same time the abuse with respect to 
the number of Saints' days was likewise cor- 
rected. All festivals, which could justly be 
deemed supernumerary and impertinent, were 
abrogated: the Calendar passed over in silence, 
as subjects of religious commemoration, the 
names of all those saints, for whom an unques- 
tionable and peculiar claim to that distinction 



f 1 Tim. ii. 5. Eph. ii. 18. 



The spirits of just men made perfect*. 55 1 

could not be advanced : and in addition to those 
holy days, which were appointed in honour of 
the chief events in our Saviour's life and min- 
istry, no others were retained, but such as cele- 
brated the principal Saints mentioned in the 
New Testament. Such were John the Baptist, 
the messenger and forerunner of our Saviour: 
and the blessed Virgin, his mother, though the 
festivals indeed, which bear her name, may 
rather be ranked with those which were ap- 
pointed in honour of our Saviour himself : such 
again were the eleven Apostles, who originally 
received commission from our Lord to preach 
the Gospel to the world ; and St. Matthias 
who was elected into the number, to fill up the 
vacancy caused by the transgression of the 
traitor; and the two supernumerary Apostles 
St. Paul, and St. Barnabas, who afterwards 
received an extraordinary and special call : 
such again were the Evangelists, who had been 
the instruments of bestowing upon the Church 
the invaluable gifts of written accounts of our 
Lord's life and ministry ; and the Martyrs who 
first bore testimony to the truth of his holy 
religion, and glorified God by their deaths: such 
finally were the holy Angels, whom it pleases 
the Almighty to employ, not only in his ser- 
vice in heaven, but also as ministers of good to 
his servants upon earth. To the festivals com me- 



552 The spirits of just men made perfect. 

morative of these different persons, mentioned 
in the New Testament, one other was added, 
as a substitute for that needless and burden- 
some profusion of days, commemorative of 
various saints, which the Church saw good to 
abrogate. Thus she appointed the festival of 
All Saints, as an occasion for celebrating under 
one general denomination all those holy per- 
sons, who had lived and died in a manner 
worthy of the vocation wherewith they were 
called : for expressing her grateful acknow- 
ledgments, as in the Collect for the day, to 
" Almighty God, who hath knit together his 
elect in one communion and fellowship, in the 
mystical body of his Son Christ our Lord;" and 
for putting up her prayers to him, that he will 
" grant us grace so to follow his blessed saints 
in all virtuous and godly living, that we may 
come to those unspeakable joys, which he hath 
prepared for them that unfeigned ly love him, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord." 

It only remains to be added to this historical 
notice, that the festival of All Saints was not 
first instituted by the Church at the Reforma- 
tion, though it had not been of very great anti- 
quity. About the year of our Lord 610, the 
heathen pantheon or temple, dedicated to all 
the gods, was, at the desire of Boniface the 
Fourth, bishop of Rome, taken from the hea- 



The spirits of just men made perfect. 553 

then by the emperor Phocas, and dedicated to 
the honour of All Martyrs : hence came the 
original of All Saints, which was then cele- 
brated on the first of May. Afterwards by an 
order of Gregory the Fourth, in the year 834, it 
was removed to the first of November, where 
it has remained ever since h . A better situation 
could not be found for it than this, towards the 
close of the ecclesiastical year, and after the 
festivals of all the individual Saints. In re- 
taining the festival however, as well as the day 
on which it is observed, the Church has kept 
clear of any corrupt admixture of Romish su- 
perstition. The Collect for the day, as well as 
the Collects for most of the other Saints' days, 
is one of those which were composed anew at 
the Reformation ; and substituted in the place 
of others, which, containing either false or 
superstitious doctrines, were on this account 
rejected 1 . 

REFLEXIONS. 

In proceeding to our reflexions upon this 
festival, let us not withhold the due tribute of 
admiration and gratitude from our national 
Church, who conducted herself on the occa- 
sion, to which we have been adverting, with 

h Dr. Nicholls, 1 Dean Comber, Mr. Shepherd. 



554 The spirits of just men made perfect. 

such eminent moderation and discretion : with 
so pure a regard to the principles of holy 
Scripture, and with such becoming respect for 
the institutions of her early predecessors in the 
Christian faith. What had grown into abuse 
in the observance of these institutions, she care- 
fully corrected : what she judged to be really 
valuable and useful, she scrupled not to retain. 
For these commemorative festivals if she found 
no positive injunction in holy writ, she certainly 
found nothing to prohibit or discourage them: 
at the same time she certainly found an example 
for them in the practices of very early Christians, 
almost ascending up to the age of the Apostles 
themselves. These examples, venerable for 
their antiquity, agreeable to the best feelings 
of human nature, and calculated in her judg- 
ment to promote the influence of our holy re- 
ligion on the hearts and lives of its professors, 
she accordingly followed : keeping her com- 
memorations within the bounds of a reasonable 
and praiseworthy observance with respect both 
to frequency and to manner; reducing to a 
small number that perpetual recurrence of holy 
days, which had become burdensome and pre- 
judicial both to individuals and to the com- 
munity, and which had lost even in the very 
frequency of their recurrence the benefits which 
might rationally be expected from intermitted 



The spirits of just men made perfect. 5 55 

commemorations ; and banishing from the form 
of her commemorations every thing which could 
be regarded as a deviation from the rule of 
Christian duty, and which was not warranted 
by the strictest interpretation of the word of 
God. Without digressing into unnecessary re- 
flexions, either upon that Church, which had 
authorized the abuses now under consideration, 
or upon those Churches, which, in their zeal for 
reformation, abolished not the abuse only but 
the use : we may be allowed to indulge a feel- 
ing of affectionate veneration for the scriptural 
and apostolical Church, established by God's 
good providence in this kingdom, and now con- 
stituting the united Church of England and 
Ireland ; for the wise discrimination with which 
she perceived the mean between the two ex- 
tremes, and for the moderation and firmness 
with which she adopted it. 

In pursuance of this sentiment it behoves us, 
as dutiful children of the Church, to apply these 
commemorative services in the way wherein 
she directs us : by considering the virtues ex- 
hibited in the lives of the holy person* com- 
memorated ; and making them, not the objects 
of our invocation, nor the channels of approach 
to the divine presence, but patterns for our imi- 
tation, so far as they themselves were modelled 



556 The spirits of just men made perfect. 

after the pattern of the great Exemplar of sanc- 
tity, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

The views of the Church in this particular 
may be illustrated by an interesting provision 
in one of her prayers for the order of the Holy 
Communion ; namely, that " for the whole state 
of Christ's Church militant here in earth." Inthis 
excellent and comprehensive form, having di- 
rected us to offer our prayers and supplications 
for the several classes and members of ''the 
universal Church," in their actual state of war- 
fare under the Lord's banner, she in the end 
makes mention of " all his servants departed 
this life in his faith and fear," for whom she di- 
rects us to " bless his holy name, beseeching 
him to give us grace so to follow their good 
examples, that with them we may be partakers 
of his heavenly kingdom and finally she di- 
rects us to conclude with the petition, " Grant 
this, O Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, our only 
Mediator and Advocate." 

Now this combination of sentiment is worthy 
of being remarked. In praying for grace to 
" follow the good examples" of the departed 
saints, she plainly shews the use to be made of 
a recollection of their virtues : in praying that 
grace may be granted " for Jesus Christ's sake, 
our only Mediator and Advocate," she plainly 



The spirits of just men made perfect. 557 

shews, that it is not for the merits, or through 
the mediation and intercession, of the saints, 
that she expects God's grace. And this is the 
more worthy of being remarked, because into 
this very petition the Romish Church, for the 
celebration of her mass, has introduced the 
names of the blessed Virgin and other saints, 
through whose merits and prayers they implore 
the divine grace, even in this very act of a 
special and lively commemoration of the death 
of Christ, our only Mediator; as if to plead in 
virtue of our Lord's passion were not sufficient ; 
and as if that very intercession, by which 
the holy Virgin herself and ail the other saints 
were made acceptable to God, were not alone 
powerful enough to make us acceptable in his 
sight k . But the Church neither desires nor 
needs, and we the members of the Church 
ought not either to desire or need, any other 
mediator or advocate, butour Lord Jesus Christ. 
This important admonition we derive from the 
instance before us, as well as from the ordi- 
nary provisions in other parts of the service of 
the Church. At the same time we are ad- 
monished by her of our duty, to " follow the 
good examples" of all God's servants ft de- 
parted this life in his faith and fear;" or to 



k Dean Comber. 



558 The spirits of just men made perfect, 

" follow his blessed saints in all virtuous and 
godly living," as the sentiment is expressed in 
the Collect for this festival. 

" Their examples indeed," as Dean Stan- 
hope well observes, 46 are left us, and our me- 
mories are refreshed with them for this very 
purpose, that we also should 6 run with patience 
the race that is set before us.' Their courage 
and constancy, their resignation and charity, 
should be copied by us, as occasion requires. 
Their sincerity and devotion, the purity of their 
faith, the innocency of their conversation, their 
fruitfulness in good works, their contempt of the 
world and heavenly-mindedness, should be pat- 
terns always before our eyes; because these are 
virtues, that may and should be always in our 
practice. In a word, we ought to express our 
thanks to Almighty God for the advantage of 
such shining examples, and pay all due reve- 
rence to their memory, by endeavouring to be 
like them. For, when all is done, the best and 
most acceptable honour we can possibly do 
those renowned Christian heroes is the forming 
of our conduct upon the model of their graces, 
and aspiring after the weight and the bright- 
ness of their crowns." 

Our minds may be further directed to an- 
other subject of reflexion, which is also inti- 
mated by the Church in the Collect for the 



The spirits of just men made perfect. 559 

day, which speaks of Almighty God, as hav- 
ing " knit together his elect in one communion 
and fellowship, in the mystical body of his Son 
Jesus Christ our Lord/' 

The religion of Christ is a religion of com- 
munion and fellowship, it brings us into com- 
munion with the Father, from whom cometh 
down every good and perfect gift; with his 
Son, Jesus Christ, through whom forgiveness 
and mercy are conveyed to us ; and with the 
Holy Ghost, whose sanctifying graces are con- 
ferred on such, as duly qualify their hearts for 
the reception of them 1 . It brings us into com- 
munion also with the holy angels ; for they are 
" ministering spirits sent forth to minister for 
them who shall be heirs of salvation." Further 
it brings us into communion with all those, 
" who have obtained the like precious faith 
with ourselves," as being, in a peculiar sense, 
children of the same Father, disciples of the 
same Master, animated by the same Spirit, 
members of the same body; with whom we 
ought to maintain communion by all proper 
ways, especially by communicating together in 
the different offices of religion, and in acts of 
mutual benevolence and love. 

But this communion or fellowship into which 

1 John i. 3. 1 Cor. i. 9. Phil. ii. 1. Rom. viii. 9. 



560 The spirits of just men made perfect. 

our religion brings us with our brethren, is not 
limited to those on earth. It extends also to 
such as have " departed this life in the true 
faith and fear of God together with whom 
we assist in constituting the one universal 
Church of Christ, being parts of his one 
" whole family in heaven and earth m ." In what 
ways they exercise that communion towards 
us at present, is not distinctly revealed: but it 
is highly probable that they do so, by loving 
ns, by praying for us, and by rejoicing at our 
welfare. And we may exercise it towards 
them, not by addressing to them petitions, 
which we are neither authorized to offer, 
nor have any grounds to think that they can 
hear ; not by offering petitions for them, since 
we have reason to be persuaded that their spiri- 
tual warfare is already accomplished, and that 
they neither need nor can be benefited by our 
prayers : but by thanking God for the grace, 
which he bestowed upon them, and for the 
good examples which they have left us; by re- 
joicing at their deliverance from the burden of 
the flesh, and their admittance into joy and 
felicity; by holding their memories in honour; 
by imitating their virtues ; and by beseeching 
God to " give us grace, so to follow their good 



Eph. iii, 15. 



The spirits of just men made perfect . 561 

examples," that, having conducted ourselves 
like them with holiness here, we may meet them 
in happiness hereafter, and " with them may be 
partakers of his heavenly kingdom." It is 
only in that kingdom, that the communion of 
the Saints in heaven and earth will be made 
perfect. There they, who are now serving- 
God faithfully here, will become in the fullest 
sense 44 fellow-citizens with the Saints, and of 
the household of God":" there the Church 
militant and the Church triumphant will be 
united in the one 44 general assembly and 
Church of the first-born, which are written in 
heaven 0 :" and all the Saints of God, all 44 the 
spirits of just men made perfect," all those, of 
whatever cc nation, and kindred, and people, 
and tongue," who have departed in the true 
faith of his holy name, will be gathered toge- 
ther from the four winds ; and together 44 have 
their perfect consummation and bliss, both in 
body and soul, in his eternal and everlasting 
glory ; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen." 

44 He which testified! these things saith, 
Surely I come quickly ; Amen. Even so, 
come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord 
Jesus Christ be with us all. Amen 9 " 

n Eph. ii. 19. 0 Heb. xii. 23. p Rev xii. 20, 21. 



O 0 



562 The spirits of just men made perfect. 



" O Almighty God, who hast knit together 
thine elect in one communion and fellowship, 
in the mystical body of thy Son Christ our 
Lord; Grant us grace so to follow thy blessed 
Saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we 
may come to those unspeakable joys, which 
thou hast prepared for them that unfeigned! y 
love thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen'" 

"The Almighty Lord, who is a most strong- 
tower to all them that put their trust in him, to 
whom all things in heaven, in earth, and under 
the earth, do bow and obey, be now and ever- 
more our defence ; and make us know and 
feel, that there is none other name under hea- 
ven given to man, in whom, and through whom, 
we may receive health and salvation, but only 
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen" 

"Unto God's gracious mercy and protection 
we commit ourselves. The Lord bless us, and 
keep us. The Lord make his face to shine upon 
us, and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up 
his countenance upon us, and give us peace, 
both now and evermore. Amen'" 



r Collect for the day. 
the Sick. 



8 From the Visitation of 



The spirits of just men made perfect. 563 



There is a dwelling-place above ; 
Thither to meet the God of love 

The poor in spirit go. 
There is a paradise of rest ; 
For contrite hearts and souls distrest 

Its streams of comfort flow. 

There is a goodly heritage, 

Where earthly passions cease to rage ; 

The meek that haven gain. 
There is a board, where they who pine 
Hungry, athirst, for grace divine, 

May feast, nor crave again. 

There is a voice to mercy true ; 
To them, who mercy's path pursue, 

That voice shall bliss impart. 
There is a sight from man conceal'd ; 
That sight, the face of God reveal'd, 

Shall bless the pure in heart. 

There is a name, in heav'n bestow'd ; 
That name, which hails them sons of God, 

The friends of peace shall know. 
There is a kingdom in the sky. 
Where they shall reign with God on high, 

Who serve him best below. 



564 The spirits of just men made perfect. 



Now pause, and view the votaries o'er, 
Who faithful to the Saviour's lore, 

The Saviour's blessing seek. 
The poor in spirit lead the train, 
Then they who mourn their inward stain, 

The merciful, the meek : 

And here the pure in heart; and here, 
Who long for righteousness; appear ; 

And they who peace ensue ; 
And they who cast on God their cares, 
Nor heed what earthly lot is theirs, 

If they his will can do. 

These are the saints, the holy ones, 
For whom the Saviour's blood atones ; 

Who, by his Spirit seal'd, 
His call with willing mind obey ; 
In whom the Father will display 

The bliss to be reveal'd. 

Lord, be it mine like them to choose 
The better part ; like them to use 

The means thy love hath given : 
Be holiness my aim on earth, 
That death be welcom'd as a birth 

To life and bliss in heaven ! 

There, wearing crowns and holding palms, 
In " hymns devout and holy psalms 5 ' 



The spirits of just men made perfect. 565 



Those spirits just unite 
With thy celestial angel train: 
Cleans'd by the Lamb no spots remain, 
No speck of earthly mould, to stain 

Their robes of dazzling white. 

No sounds of woe their joy molest : 
No sense of pain disturbs their rest: 

No grief is felt within : 
But God has wiped away the tear 
From every face, and keeps them clear 
From anxious doubt, and startling fear, 

From sorrow as from sin. 



INDEX 



TO THE PRINCIPAL MATTERS 

CONTAINED IN THE FOREGOING WORK. 



A. 

ACHAIA, probably the scene of St. Luke's ministry and 
death, 497. 

Acts of the Apostles, written by St. Luke in continuation 
of his Gospel, 488. when and where published, 495. great 
value of the document, 506, 507, 510. 

All Martyrs, origin of All Saints, 553. 

All Saints, who intended to be commemorated under that 
name, 541, 542. historical survey of the circumstances 
which led to the appointment, 543 — 552. first institution 
of the festival, 552, 553. suitableness of the present 
day, 553. 

Alph;e,us, notice of him, 268, 269. 

Ananias, the high priest, his end, 131. 

Andrew, St. his day why first kept, 1. his birth-place and 
parentage, 2. whether older or younger than St. Peter, 
ibid, a disciple of John the Baptist, 3. the first called dis- 
ciple of Christ, ibid, his introduction of Peter to Christ, 4. 
subsequent attendance on him, 4, 5. call to be a regular 
follower of Christ, 6, and an apostle, 7. occasions on which 
particularly mentioned, 8. not a prominent character in the 
New Testament, 9. present at our Lord's ascension, 10. 
his lot cast to the north of Judea, ibid, his travels and 
martyrdom, 11, 12. Reflexions on his early instruction, 13. 
on the character in which Jesus was made known to him, 
14. on his seeking Jesus, 15. on his communicating his 
discovery to his brother, 16, and on the language in which 
he communicated it, 17. on his diligence in his station, 18. 
on his obedience to the call of Jesus, 19. on his appoint- 
ment to the apostleship, 20, 21. on his natural insufficiency 
for the office, 22, 23. 



568 



INDEX. 



Angel, how St. Stephen's face resembled the face of one, 63. 
Angel of the Lord, of God, &c. Son of God sometimes thus 
described, 456. 

Angels holy, commemoration of them the purpose of the 
Church, 456. their existence plain from Scripture, 457. 
their origin, ibid, signification of the name, 458. described 
under other names, ibid, called sons of God, 459. in a 
sense subordinate to our Saviour, 460. names of individual 
angels, ibid, their nature, 461. their appearance, 462. their 
properties, 462, 463. their number, 463. their different dis- 
tinctions and ranks, 464. their ordinary residence, ibid. 
their employments, in heaven, 465. on earth, 466. at the 
creation, 466. under the patriarchal dispensation, 467. at 
the giving of the law, ibid, during the legal dispensation, 
468. with the Jewish prophets, 469. under the Gospel, ibid. 
with the Saviour, 470. subsequently with the servants of 
God, 471. how at present affected by the Gospel, ibid. 
their subjection to the Son of God, 472. their future at- 
tendance on him in the day of judgment, ibid, part of the 
heavenly society hereafter, ibid. Reflexions on the divine 
power and goodness in their creation, 473. and in the ex- 
cellence of their nature, ibid, their qualities an example for 
us to imitate, 474. in obedience, ibid, in the worship of 
God and of Christ, 475. in ministering to man's salvation, 
475, 476. in due subordination, 476. a grateful recollection 
and commemoration of them due, 477. but not worship, 478. 
such worship prohibited by Scripture, ibid, and indefen- 
sible, 479. inference from the whole, 480. 

Anna, supposed mother of the Virgin Mary, notice of her, 
203. 

Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, a festival more peculiarly 
belonging to our Saviour, 202. why introduced into the 
present series, ibid. 

Antioch, in Syria, character of that city, 489. 

Antiocii, Church of, commemorated the martyrdom of Ig- 
natius, 544. 

Apostles, meaning of the term, 194. their office temporary, 
ibid, divine wisdom and power illustrated by the choice of 
them, 22, 23. the fitness of some persons in particular for 
that appointment, 280 — 282. call of several not related, 
431. very little known of several of them, 526. probable 
causes of the fact, 527. practical reflexions drawn from 
it, 528. some of them married, 262, 346, 363, 524. infer- 
ence from the fact, 380. one of them a husbandman, 524. 
first of them who was crowned with martyrdom, 392. time 
of their dispersion variously stated, 433. men of like pas- 



INDEX. 



569 



sions with other men, 304, 305. practical reflexions on the 
fact, 306 — 308, 315. no power or authority over the rest 
possessed by St. Peter, 370. possessed of equal power with 
him, 372 — 375. their praiseworthy conduct in the election 
of Matthias, 188 — 191. united in worshipping the Lord 
Jesus, 191 — 193. how feliowship with them may be still 
maintained, 197. 

Arabia, St. Paul's sojourn there, why not noticed by St. 
Luke> 144, 145. 

Armenia, reported scene of St. Bartholomew's preaching 
and death, 415. 

Assumption of the Virgin Mary, how to be regarded, 201. 
ridiculous tales concerning it, 217. 

B. 

Babylon, figuratively for Rome, 364. why, 365. 

Barnabas, St. his festival when and why added to the 
Calendar, 287. in what way an apostle, 287, 288. his 
birth, state of life, and education, 288, 289. probable origin 
of his intimacy with St. Paul, 289. his early connexion 
with the Church, ibid, his original name when added to, 

290. his history closely connected with that of St. Paul, 

291. his introduction of St. Paul to the Apostles at Jeru- 
salem, 146, 291. their joint labours at Antioch, Jerusalem, 
and in Asia, 292 — 294. their contention and separation, 
294 — 296. ensuing history uncertain, 296, 297. probably 
returned to Cyprus and died there, 297. unfounded tales 
concerning his tomb, 297, 298. different opinions of the 
authenticity of the epistle attributed to him, 298. account 
of it, 299. Reflexions on his excellent character, 299. on 
the contention between him and St. Paul, 300. on the 
frankness of the Evangelist in relating it, 301 — 303. on 
the infirmities of human nature as illustrated by it, 304 — 
308. on the conduct which it may recommend to us, 309 
— 312. on the extenuating circumstances of the case, 
312—315. 

Barnabas, a life of, not to be relied upon, 297. 

Bartholomew, St. only mentioned by that name in the 
catalogues of the Apostles, 407. probably the same as Na- 
thanael, 408. reasons for the supposition, 408 — 410. the 
name Bartholomew a patronymick, 410. erroneous supposi- 
tions concerning his parentage and profession, 411. pro- 
bably a fisherman, 412. his introduction to our Lord, and 
acknowledgment of him, 413. notice of him after our Lord's 



570 



INDEX. 



ascension, 414. countries in which he is related to hare 
travelled, 414, 415. his death, 416. unfounded stories 
about the removal of his body after death, 416. a Gospel 
forged under his name, ibid. Reflexions on him as " an 
Israelite indeed," 417 — 419. on the guilelessness of his 
character, 419 — 421. on the promise made to him by our 
Saviour of greater knowledge, 423, 424. (See Nathanael.) 

Belief and obedience, reasons enough for them, 263. our duty 
to exercise them, ibid. 

Bishop, meaning and derivation of the term, 194. office held 
by the Apostles and transmitted by them to others, 195. 
regular succession of bishops in the primitive Church, ibid. 
(See Episcopal government.) 

Bishop of Jerusalem, cause of St. James's elevation to that 
post, 272. an unanswerable argument against the su- 
premacy of any other bishop or church, 283, 284. 

Bishop of Rome, his claim to supremacy, 371. its weakness, 
374, 380. 

4t Blessed among women," why the Virgin Mary so ac- 
counted, 218. 

Boanerges, probable meaning of the name, 84, 391, 399. 
Brethren of our Lord, their fitness to be Apostles, 280. 
Britain, opinions concerning the Gospel having been 

preached there by St. Paul, 164, 165. alleged scene of St. 

Simon's preaching and burial^ 518, 519. 
Brother, extended sense of the word, 269. in what sense 

James was the Lord's brother, ibid. 
Byzantium, a church said to have been founded there by 

St. Andrew, 11. 



C. 

Caiaphas, the high priest, his end, 130. 

Cana of Galilee, probable motive of the Virgin Mary's con- 
duct there, 211, 212. 

Canaanite, meaning of the word as applied to St. Simon, 517. 

Caution and watchfulness recommended, 369, 370. 

Celibacy of the Romish clergy, not supported by the do- 
mestick life of St. Peter, 380. 

Cephas, meaning of the name, 345. \ 

Cerinthus, his heresy supposed to have been partly the 
occasion of St. John's Gospel, 97. anecdote concerning 
him, 100. 

Cherubim and Seraphim, meaning of the names, 458. 
Chosen, in what sense Christians are chosen, 168. 



INDEX. 



571 



Christ, acknowledgment of his dominion and deity, 46. ac- 
cepted by himself, 47, 48. his divine nature asserted by 
St. John's Gospel, 97. value of the testimony, 109. his 
divinity, preexistence, atonement, &c. declared by John 
the Baptist, 340. an object of worship to the holy angels, 
472. and so should be to us, 475. how to be contemplated 
as the Lamb of God, 14. how as the Messiah, 17. excel- 
lency of him and his religion, 396. spiritual nature of his 
kingdom, and mode of procuring admission, 397. manifesta- 
tion of him to his disciples, 530. what necessary on their 
parts, 531. his benignity and condescension in satisfying 
the scruples of St. Thomas, 44. in rebuking James and 
John, 388. (See Jesus, Son of God, &c.) 

Christian indeed, who may be properly considered such, 418, 
419. faithfulness of, how to be shewn, 501. 

Church of England and Ireland, her wisdom and piety 
with respect to the Virgin Mary, 225. condemns the in- 
vocation of saints, 550. her care in providing for the due 
commemoration of them, ibid, her eminent moderation and 
discretion, 554. her views illustrated by a remarkable pro- 
vision in her liturgy, 556, 557. 

Church of Rome, her worship of angels opposed to the pro- 
hibitions of Scripture, 479. how she defends it, ibid, re- 
markable instance of her uniting saints with our Lord, as 
mediators, 557. (See Council of Trent, Popish, Romanist, 
&c.) 

Cleopas, probably the same as Alphaeus, 268. suppositions 

concerning him, 269. 
Collects, for Saints' days, corrected at the Reformation, 

553. 

Communion, Christ's religion a religion of communion, 559, 
560. of saints, how exercised, ibid, where perfected, 561. 

Compostella, origin of the name, 393. fabulous stories con- 
nected with it, 393, 394, 

Concessions reciprocal, their utility, 311. 

Confirmation, origin of the rite, 356. 

Conformity to the example of Christ, its necessity, 397. how 
required in former times, ibid, how in the present, 398. 

Constantine, built a church in honour of St. Paul, 167. 

Conversion, what sorts of, necessary for Christians in general, 
171. use to be derived from that of St. Paul, 172. 

Council of Trent, its decree concerning the Saints, 549. 

Covetousness, its danger, 185. 

Creator, his goodness and power illustrated by the creation of 

angels, 473. and by the excellence of their nature, ibid. 
Crucifixion with the head downwards, 362, 416. question 



572 



INDEX. 



concerning St. Peter being crucified in that posture, 362. 
sometimes preceded by flaying alive, 416. 
Cup and baptism, their figurative signification, as used by 
our Saviour, 389. fulfilment of the prophecy concerning 
them, 391, 392. in what sense the phrases may be now 
used, 398, 402. 

Cyprus, its situation, 288. supposed scene of St. Barna- 
bas's death, 297. 

D. 

Deacons, origin of the office, 58. their primary duty, 59. how 
afterwards extended, 60. by whom and how they were ap- 
pointed, ibid. 

Death of the righteous, its composure, 75. 

Diligence in the proper duties of our station, a recommenda- 
tion to God's favour, 17. 

Dion Cassius, his alleged testimony on the slaughter at 
Bethlehem, 119. 

Disciples of Christ, his affection for them expressed in a 
manner peculiarly endearing, 214. 

Dispensations, Mosaical and Christian, their connexion shewn, 
13. 

Dissentions, cautions for our conduct in them, 344, 345. 
Domitian, his persecution of the Christians, 94. 
Dulness of apprehension in some of the Apostles, what use to 
be made of, 38, 39. 



E. 

Eagle, why St. John compared to one, 97. 

Egypt, supposed scene of St. Mark's preaching, 241. 

Elias, Elijah, the same person, 325. his character, 326. 

resemblance between him and John the Baptist, 326 — 329, 
Elizabeth, how the cousin of the Virgin Mary, 203. 
Eloquence, remarkably exemplified in St. Paul's speeches, 

153. 

Emmaus, conjecture as to one of the disciples who accom- 
panied our Lord thither, 490. 

Ephesus, its central situation, 94. a fit residence for St. 
John, ibid. 

Episcopal government, its origin and continuance in the 
Church, 195. when first departed from, ibid, happiness of 
the national Church in maintaining it, 196. its spiritual 



INDEX. 



573 



value, 196, 197. our interest and duty in consequence, 197. 
(See Bishop.) 

Error, proneness of human nature towards it, 1 06. example 

for correcting it, ibid. 
Espousals, Jewish custom concerning them, 204. 
Ethiopia, the Asian, its situation, 33. supposed scene of 

St. Thomas's preaching, 33. and of St. Matthew's, 433. 
Eudocia, the Empress 3 built a Church to the honour of St. 

Stephen, 68. 

Eusebius, his catalogues of the primitive bishops, 195. 
Evangelist, meaning of the name, 229. 

Evangelists, their candour and fidelity, 41. their frankness, 
sincerity, and fidelity, 301 — 303. their correct views of 
human nature, 304 — 306. their simplicity and honesty, 
367. 

Evidence, what sort of, sufficient for Christian belief, 48 — 
50. 

Examples, good, of the saints to be followed, 556, 558. 



F. 

Faith, the actuating principle of Christian martyrs, 68. 

Faith once delivered unto the saints, duty of contending ear- 
nestly for it, 532, 533. important portion of it, 534. 

Father, his prerogative in the distribution of future rewards 
not exclusive of his Son, 400. 

Flaying alive, sometimes practised before crucifixion, 416. 

Followers of Christ, encouragement for us to be so, 15. ar- 
guments and examples to the same, 18, 19. 

Forgiveness, why we are directed to pray for it, 305. 

Forgiveness of persecutors, exemplified and inculcated, 74. 

Fortitude and fidelity to Christ, an example of, 37. 

Friendship not inconsistent with the Gospel, 104. when most 
valuable, 500. 



G. 

Gabriel, one of the angels named in Scripture, 461. what 

actions ascribed to him, 469. 
Galilee, geographical sketch of, 385. 
Galilee, sea of, 2. 
Gennesareth, lake of, 2. 

God, reliance to be placed on his goodness and power, 266. 



574 



INDEX. 



Gospels, why so called, 252. their mutual agreement, ibid. 
duty of Christians with respect to them, 253. (See Evan- 
gelists.) 

Grace of Christ, its necessity in order to obedience, 399. 

Greek, the universal language in our Saviour's time, 437. 

Gregory of Nazianzum, his encomiastical orations, 548. 

Guilelessness, a necessary ingredient in the Christian cha- 
racter, 419. essential for the investigation of divine truth, 
420, 421. 

Guilt, disappointment, and punishment, a memorable example 
of, 126—128. 



H. 

Hebrews, Epistle to, name of the author why not expressed, 
156. 

Heli, see Joakim. 

Herod Agrippa, his persecution of the Church, 357, 358, 
392. his untimely end, 131. 

Herod Antipas, who beheaded John the Baptist, and 
mocked Christ, his end, 130. 

Herod the Great, his motive for slaying the children at 
Bethlehem, 116. his general character and conduct render 
the slaughter probable ; 121 — 124. A monument of guilt, 
125; of disappointment, 127; and of punishment, 128, 
129. 

Hierapolis, in Phrygia, its modern Turkish name, 261. 
whence named Hierapolis, ibid, residence of St. Philip, and 
fitness for the purpose, 261, 415. 

Holy Ghost, the power which supported the Christian mar- 
tyrs, 68. 

Holy Innocents, their death commemorated in early times, 
116. history of it, as related by St. Matthew, 116, 117, 
confirmed by ancient Christian writers, 117. and by Ma- 
crobius, 118. no reason to question its truth, 119 — 121. 
the slaughter agreeable to the character of Herod, 121 — - 
124. the amount uncertain, and has been exaggerated, 
124, 125. Reflexions on the event with respect to Herod, 
125—132; to Almighty God, 132; and to the infants 
themselves, 133, 134. use to be derived from the comme- 
moration, 135. 

Honour, to be sought from God, 529. 

Hooker, anecdote of, on his death-bed, 476. 

Hyssus, haven of, on the Euxine sea, supposed residence of 
St. Matthias, 180. 



INDEX, 



575 



i. 

Ignatius, account of his martyrdom, 544. early commemo- 
ration of it, ibid. 

India, said to have been the scene of St. Thomas's ministry, 
34. different opinions on the subject, 35. also of St. Bar- 
tholomew's, 415. its situation, ibid. 

Infidelity, provision against, 421, 508. 

Invocation of saints, its origin, 548. decreed by the Council 
of Trent, 549. at variance with Scripture, ibid, condemned 
by the Church of England, 550. 

Isaiah, his prophecy of John the Baptist, 322. custom to 
which it alluded, ibid. 

Israelite indeed, purport of the term, 417. 



J, 

James, St. son of Alphaeus, his other names, 268. his pa- 
rentage, 269. why called the Lord's brother, 269, 270. 
why called James the Less, 270. why the Just, ibid, little 
noticed during our Lord's ministry, 271. honoured by a 
special appearance of Christ after his resurrection, ibid, 
Bishop of Jerusalem, 272, 273. indications of his episcopal 
character, 273 — 275. highly respected by the Jewish be- 
lievers, 275, 276. his death, 276, 277. his memory che- 
rished with affection by the Christians, 278. his epistle, 
ibid, its occasion and character, 279. a kind of preparatory 
Gospel falsely attributed to him, 280. Reflexions on his 
fitness to be an Apostle, 280, on the value of his testimony 
to the Christian faith, 282. on the excellence of his ex- 
ample, 283. on an argument suggested by his episcopal 
station, ibid, supposed allusion to his martyrdom, 544. 

James, St. son of Zebedee, why distinguished by his parent- 
age, 383. why called the Great, ibid, his early history, 
384. his indignation at the Samaritans' refusal to receive 
our Lord, 387. his request to sit near the person of Christ, 
388 — 390. after our Lord's ascension, his history uncer- 
tain, 390. his ministry probably confined to Judea, 391, 
not extended to Spain, ibid, his death, first of the Apostles, 
392. anecdote at his martyrdom, 393. story of the trans- 
lation of his body to Spain, ibid. Reflexions on the in- 
temperance of his zeal, 394 — 397. on his petition to be 
admitted to particular distinction in Christ's kingdom, 
397—403. 



576 



INDEX. 



Jerusalem, attendance of females there at the passover, 

how to be regarded, 209. 
Jesus, why seen by St. Stephen, 71. how seen by succeeding 

martyrs, 72. 

Jesus, the object of Stephen's invocation, 66. and the object 

of the invocation of Christians after his example, 72 — 74. 

an object of worship with the apostolical body, 191 — 193. 

(See Christ.) 
Jews, their punishment for rejecting Christ, 131. 
Joakim. supposed father of the Virgin Mary, notice of him, 

203. 

John, St. the Apostle and Evangelist. How distinguished 
from other saints, 81. his parentage, 81, 82. probable cir- 
cumstances in his history, before his call, 82, 83. his ap- 
pointment to the apostleship, 83. the name given to him, 
and its probable meaning, 84. admitted with James and 
Peter to peculiar privileges, 85. received some marks of 
singular favour, 86. the subject on three occasions of his 
Lord's reproof, 86 — 88. evidences of his love for his Lord, 
88, 89. his attendance at the empty tomb, 89. his presence 
on several occasions afterwards of our Lord's appearance, 
90. his intimate acquaintance with St. Peter, 91, 92. his 
removal into Asia, eventually to Ephesus, 93, 94. question 
concerning his being cast into a caldron of boiling oil by 
Domitian, 94. his banishment to Patmos, and writing of 
the Apocalypse, 95. his return to Ephesus, and writing of 
his Gospel, 96. his object, and manner of treating his sub- 
ject, 97. his Epistles, 97 — 100. two anecdotes concerning 
him, 100. his death, and character, 101, 102. Reflexions 
on the circumstances alluded to in his life. 102 — 106. 
study of his writings recommended, 106. peculiar value of 
his Gospel, 107 — 110. comparison between his death and 
that of his companions, 110. 

John, St. the Baptist, meaning of the names, 319. why 
commemorated on the day of his nativity, 320. his mission 
the connecting link between the Old and New Testaments, 
321. predictions of him by Malachi and Isaiah, 321 — 323. 
St. Mark's and St. Luke's history of their fulfilment, 323 — 
325. his resemblance to Elijah, 325 — 329. his answer that 
he was not Elijah explained, 329, 330. his preaching, 331, 

332. Reflexions on his character for integrity and veracity, 

333. his disinterestedness, 334 — 337. his prophetical cha- 
racter, 337 — 339. clearness and importance of his testi- 
mony to Jesus, 339, 340. practical application, 340, 341. 

John the Baptist, efficacy of his discipline in bringing men to 
Christ, 13. 



INDEX. 



577 



John* whose surname was Mark, mention of him in the Acts, 
230. identified with St. Mark the Evangelist, 231. 

Johnson, Dr. his character of Lord Lyttleton's " Observa- 
tions on the Conversion and Apostleship of St. Paul," 422. 

Joseph, probable time of his death, 211. 

Josephus, his silence on the slaughter at Bethlehem, ex- 
plained, 121. his account of the miseries and death of 
Herod, 129. his opinion on the cause of the destruction of 
the temple, 278. his testimony to the character of John the 
Baptist, 333. a particular name mentioned by him, 410. 
peculiarity in his history, 438. his account of the Jewish 
Zealots, 518. 

Joses, Greek name for Joseph, 290. 

Judas Iscariot, his fall, 178. reflexions upon his spiritual 
gifts, 181. upon the efficacy of his ministry, 182. upon the 
prophecy which foretold his guilt, 183 — 185. upon his 
peculiar lust, 185. upon the greatness of his sin, ibid, upon 
his death, 186. his case contrasted with that of St. Peter, 
187. 

Jude, St. how denominated, 519. meaning of his name, ibid. 
his family, 520. occasions whereon mentioned, 521. sup- 
positions concerning his travels, 522. and death, 523. 
doubtful whether a martyr, ibid, anecdote of his posterity, 
524. his Epistle, 525. Reflexions on his misapprehension 
of our Lord's character, 530. on his exhortation to contend 
earnestly for the faith, 532 — 534. (See Simon and Jude,) 

Jude a, geographical sketch of, 385. 

Judgments of God, calamities sometimes considered such 
rashly, 128. eminent examples of, 129 — 131. 

L. 

Laud, Archbishop, his opinion on the genuineness of the 

epistle ascribed to Barnabas, 298. 
Lebbjeus, a name of St. Jude, 519. its probable meaning, 

520. 

Levi, same as Matthew, 428. probably an earlier name, 445. 

Lots, election by, why practised in a particular case by the 
Apostles, 190. not a precedent for us, ibid. 

Love of Christ towards us, how to be returned, 105. 

Love to God and Christ, its importance, 531. 

Love of Christians for one another, anecdote of St. John's 
manner of inforcing it, 101, excellent mode for encourag- 
ing us in cultivating it, 106. 

Lowliness of station no obstacle to God's favour, 103. 

pp 



578 



INDEX. 



Luke, St. how be includes himself amongst St. Paul's com- 
panions, 487. mentioned by that Apostle expressly, ibid. 
and implicitly, 488. author of the Gospel which bears his 
name, and of the Acts, ibid, his birth and education, 489. 
a physician, ibid, not a painter, ibid, suppositions concern- 
ing him, ibid, well acquainted with the apostles, 490. and 
with St. Paul, but not his convert, ibid, his companion 
during- his travels and imprisonments, 491, 492. oppor- 
tunities of procuring from the apostle the information given 
in his Gospel, 493. authorities upon that subject, 493, 494. 
judgment of critics, 494. his own statement, 495. his his- 
tories when and where written, ibid, to whom dedicated, 
495, 496. uncertainties concerning his death, 496. pro- 
bably not a martyr, ibid. Reflexions on the excellence of 
his character as an associate of St. Paul, 497 — 499. on- his 
fidelity, 500. on his sufferings for Jesus' sake, 501. on his 
character as an Evangelist, 502 — 505. on his Acts of the 
Apostles, 506 — 509. use of such reflexions, 510, 511. 

Lyttleton, Lord, his doubts of the truth of Christianity, 
422. his firm belief in its truth, how effected, ibid, excel- 
lence of his " Observations on the Conversion and Apo- 
stleship of St. Paul," ibid. 

M. 

Macrobius, his testimony to the slaughter of the infants at 

Bethlehem, 118, 119. 
Magi, said to have been met with by St.' Thomas in Persia, 

33. 

Magnificat, or Song of the blessed Virgin Mary, occasion 
and character of it, 205. 

Malachi, his prophecies of John the Baptist, 321 — 323. 
their fulfilment, 325, 329. 

Mark, St. on what ground commemorated, 229. question 
whether the Evangelist be the same as John Mark, 230, 
231. answered in the affirmative. 231, 232. authority of 
St. Mark's Gospel not affected by the question, 232. his 
parentage, 233. his original religion and name, 234. an 
early associate of Peter, Paul, and Barnabas, 234, 235. 
accompanied the two latter on part of their journey, 235. 
why he quitted them, uncertain, 236. cause of contention 
and separation between them afterwards, ibid, reconciled 
to Barnabas, and afterwards to Paul, 237. assistant and 
companion of St. Paul in his imprisonment at Rome, ibid. 
how mentioned by that apostle, 237, 238. afterwards com- 
panion of St. Peter, 239. whose relations of our Saviour's 



INDEX. 



579 



life he committed to writing in his Gospel, 239 — 241. 
preached his Gospel in Egypt, 241. presided over the 
Church at Alexandria, ibid, his death probably not by 
martyrdom, 242. fabulous tradition concerning the removal 
of his body to Venice, ibid, a church to his honour in that 
city, ibid. Reflexions on his character, personally, 242 
— 244. and as an Evangelist, 244 — 254. 

Mark, St. his Gospel, intitled to be considered as the 
Gospel of St. Peter, 245. accredited by that apostle, 246. 
internal evidences to that character in its style, ibid, in the 
manner of narration, ibid, and in the matter, 247, 248. 
compendious, but not an epitome of another narrative, 249, 
250. fitness of the language in which the Church speaks 
of it, 250, 251. use to which it is to be applied, 251, 252. 

Mark, St. a work under his name, not to be relied upon, 
297. 

Martyr, true spirit of, 362. 

Martyrs, their sufferings, how endured, 69, 70. early cele- 
bration of, 53, 545. object and manner of such celebrations, 
546. how abused, 54, 547 — 549. and corrected, 54, 55, 
549, 550. 

Martyrdom, three kinds of, 56. commemorated by the Church 
at Christmas, ibid. 

Mary, the blessed Virgin, holydays kept in memory of her, 
201, 202. her parentage, 203. espousals, 204. and an- 
nunciation, ibid, her visit to Elizabeth, 205. her delivery, 
206. her meditations on the good tidings proclaimed by the 
Angel, 207. and on the worship of the magi, ibid, com- 
munication to her by Simeon of the child's future destiny, 
208. her flight with Joseph into Egypt, 209. her visit to 
Jerusalem, and expostulation with Jesus, 209 — 211. her 
presence at the marriage feast in Cana, 211. and the in- 
cidents there, 212, 213. her residence and conduct at 
Capernaum, 213, 214. her affectionate attendance at the 
crucifixion, 214, 215. her extreme sorrow on that occasion, 
216. her presence with the apostles after the ascension, 
ibid, no certain account of her latter days, but the most 
likely supposition, 216, 217. Reflexions on her virtues 
and graces, 217, 218. her excellence only human, 218. 
plain distinction in Scripture between her nature and that 
of our Lord, 219. little noticed in the Gospels, and no 
peculiar deference shewn to her, 219 — 221. not exempt 
from human weaknesses and failings, 221 — 223. folly and 
impiety of making her an object of religious veneration, 
223,224. specimens of such veneration, ibid, wisdom and 
piety of our own Church in that particular, 225. our busi- 



580 



INDEX. 



ness in consequence, ibid. (See Nativity, Annunciation, 
Purification, Assumption.) 
Virgin Mary, traditionary story concerning her pictures, 
489. 

Mary, the mother of James the Less, sister to the Virgin 
Mary, 270. 

Mary, the mother of Mark, her estimable character, 233, 
290. 

Matthew, St. how distinguished from the other Apostles 
and Evangelists, 427. same as Levi, 428. of Jewish ex- 
traction, ibid, a publican of inferior station, 429. his call, 
ibid, and entertainment of our Saviour at a feast, ibid. 
his call the last mentioned, but probably not the last in 
fact, 431. ordained an Apostle, ibid, not noticed afterwards 
apart from the rest, 432. most probable scenes of his 
labours, 433. accounts of his death uncertain, 433, 434. 
date of his Gospel, 434, 435. most probably not very late, 
435. opinions concerning the original language, 436 — 439. 
genuineness and authenticity of the Gospel which we pos- 
sess, 439, 440. Reflexions on the wisdom and power of 
God illustrated by his call, 441. on the grace of God, 442. 
on the grounds of his belief and obedience, 443. on the im- 
pediments to his compliance, 444. on his entertainment 
of Christ, ibid, on his modesty and candour, 445 — 447. on 
his apostolical character, 448. on his character as an 
Evangelist, 448 — 450. practical application, 451. 

Matthias, St. his attendance on our Lord's ministry, 177. 
his election to the apostleship, 178. his subsequent history 
obscure, 179. a Gospel falsely attributed to him, 180. 

Mediator, Christ alone, 557. exclusive of all saints, ibid. 

Michael, St. and all Angels, why the festival so intitled, 
455. question concerning the nature of Michael, 456. 
meaning of the name, 460. 

Ministers of the Gospel, their unworthiness not a fit argu- 
ment against using their ministry, 182, 183. 



N. 

Names, corresponding with accidents of the body, 270. 
Names, derivative, not uncommon with the Jews, 410. 
Names, different, borne by the same person, 407, 408, 519. 
Names, Hebrew and Greek, frequently borne by the Jews, 29. 
Nathanael, noticed by St. John, but not under that name 
by the other Evangelists, 408. probably an Apostle, 409, 



INDEX. 



581 



410. supposed to be the same as Bartholomew, 411. (See 
Bartholomew.) 

Nativity of the Virgin Mary, why not commemorated by our 
Church, 201. 

Nero, his persecution of the Christians, 166, 361, 363. 

O. 

Obedience to Christ, its necessity, 531, 532. (See Belief.) 

P. 

Palestine, how divided in our Saviour's time, 385. 

Paley, Archdeacon, his Horae Paulinae, 157. 

PatsttjENus of Alexandria, a copy of St. Matthew's Gospel 

said to have been found by him in India, 414. 
Patmos, traditionary notices of St. John still existing there, 

95, 96. 

Parthia, Gospel said to have been preached there by St. 
Thomas, 33. and by St. Matthew, 433. 

Paul, St. why his conversion commemorated, 139. when 
provision made for commemorating it, 288. remarks on his 
two names, 139. his descent and family, 140. his educa- 
tion, 141. his character and conduct before his conversion, 
142. his journey to Damascus and conversion, 143. his 
retirement into Arabia, 144, 145. his earnest preaching of 
the Gospel at Damascus and Jerusalem, 146. conveyed for 
safety to Tarsus, 147. accompanies Barnabas to Antioch, 
ibid, and Jerusalem, 148. his mission to the Gentiles, ibid. 
the various scenes of his ministry,, 149. his frequent mira- 
cles, 150 — 152. his speeches, 152—154. his Epistles, 
154 — 157. his sufferings, 158 — 163. whether after his 
first imprisonment at Rome, he visited Spain and Britain, 
is disputed, 164, 165. his visit to Judeaand the East, 165. 
his return to Rome, 166. his imprisonment there, and mar- 
tyrdom, 166, 167. a church erected to his memory, 167. 
Reflexions on the use to be made of his call, as a chosen 
vessel, 168. of the communications vouchsafed to him, 169. 
and of his conversion, 170, 171. his virtues an example for 
our grateful imitation, 172, 173. (See Sufferings, Sword.) 

Paul, St. his conversion considered a proof of the efficacy of 
Stephen's prayers, 67. 

Paul, St. his intimate connexion with St. Barnabas, 291 
— 294. their contention, 294 — 296. Reflexions on it. (See 
Barnabas.) 



582 



INDEX. 



Paul, St. his Epistles, their order in the New Testament 
different from that of their dates, 154 — 157. their relation 
to the Acts of the Apostles, 158. the best monument of 
their author, 167. 

Paul, St. St. Luke's knowledge of the Gospel history de- 
rived from him, 493, 494. 

Pantheon, what use made of it, 553. 

Persecutors of Christianity, prophecies concerning them, 129. 
exemplified, 130, 131. 

Persia, supposed scene of St. Simon's and St. Jude's min- 
istry, 515, 518, 522. 

Peter, St. his early history, 345. his name, ibid, married 
and settled at Capernaum, 346. a prominent character in 
the Gospel history, ibid,, admitted to several marks of our 
Lord's favour, 346 — -348. conspicuous for his warmth and 
earnestness, 348—350. and for want of steadiness and 
• firmness, 350. his denied of Jesus, 351. and repentance, 
ibid, his attendance at the sepulchre, and examination of 
the grave-clothes, 352. the first man to whom our Lord 
appeared, and why, 352, 353. his part in another remark- 
able appearance of our Lord, 353, 354. manner of his 
death foretold, 354. his acts after our Lord's ascension, 
354 — 356. his departure from Jerusalem and return thi- 
ther, 356. his progress through Judea, Galilee, and Sa- 
maria, ibid, his visit to Cornelius 3 and first preaching of 
the Gospel to the Gentiles, 357. his imprisonment by He- 
rod, and delivery by an angel, 358. his opinion at the 
council of Jerusalem, ibid, his intercourse with St. Paul, 
359. probable account of his travels, 360. his journey to 
Rome, ibid, his death, 361. whether crucified with his 
head downwards, 361, 362. his burial, 362. and monu- 
ment, 363. his wife's martyrdom, ibid, his Epistles, ibid. 
where written, 364. their address and design, 365. com- 
mendations of them, 366. his concern in St. Mark's Gos- 
pel, ibid. Reflexions on his character, 367. his virtues, 
368. and defects, 369, 370. on his connexion with the 
other apostles, 370. in what sense possessed of any per- 
sonal privilege, 371, 372/ not possessed of any power over 
the others, 372—375. why a leading person among them, 
375. neither regarded himself, nor regarded by them, as 
possessing any authority over them, 376—380. 
Peter, St. his concern in the writing of St. Mark's Gospel, 
239, ^40, 245. particulars illustrative of the fact, 246 
—-249. inference from it, 251 . 
Peter, St. anecdote of his wife's martyrdom, 363. 
Philip, St. his birth-place and occupation, 258. the first 



INDEX. 



583 



called of our Lord's followers, ibid, his call to the apostle- 
ship, 259, occasions on which subsequently mentioned, 260. 
probable places of his ministry and death, 260, 261, 415. 
question concerning his martyrdom, 261. was married and 
had daughters, 262. Reflexions on his ingenuousness, 
262. on his readiness to communicate spiritual knowledge, 
264. on his deficiency in faith, 265. and in clearness of 
perception, 266. 

Philip and James, Sts. why commemorated together, 257. 

Piety, communicative, 16. 

Polycarp, account of his martyrdom, 544. early commemo- 
ration of it, 545. 
Pontius Pilate, his end, ISO. 

Pontus, &c. St. Peter probably resided a considerable time 

in those parts, 360. 
Popish writers, ashamed of the tales concerning the Virgin 

Mary's death and assumption, 217. (See Romanist.) 
Preacher of the Gospel, must be lawfully called and sent, 

20,21. 

Prejudices against religion, how to be met, 264, 265. 
Prepossessions against religion, how to be removed, 420, 421. 

a pleasing instance of their removal, 422. 
Presumption, considerations to check it, 307. 
Principles of conduct, recommended for adoption, 190, 191. 
Protevangelion, a kind of preparatory Gospel, falsely assigned 

to St. James, 280. 
Psalms, ii. and cx, fulfilment of, 129. 
Psalm cix, prophetical of Judas, 178. 

Publican, two sorts of, 429. why St. Matthew designates 

himself by that term, 446. 
Purification of the Virgin Mary, judgment of the Church 

concerning this festival, 202. why not introduced into the 

present series, ibid. 

R. 

Religious knowledge to be communicated to others, 264. to be 

acquired like other knowledge, 508. 
Repentance required of all Christians, 170. 
Republican government, principles of, when adapted to the 

affairs of religion, 195. 
Resurrection of Christ, fulness of the evidence borne to it, 

40, 43. absurdity of the most plausible objection against 

the evidence, 44. blessing on those who believe it, 48 — 50. 
Revelations enjoyed bv Christians sufficient for their purpose, 

169, 170. 



58.4 



INDEX. 



Rewards of Christ's kingdom, in what manner and on what 
considerations distributed, 401. and to whom, 402. 

Romanist books of devotion, specimens from them of the ve- 
neration shewn to the Virgin Mary, 223, 224. (See Popish 
writers.) 

Rome, why chosen by St. Paul for his residence, 166. scene 
of his and St. Peter's martyrdom, ibid. (See Church, 
Bishop, Supremacy, Worship.) 

S. 

Sadducees, the only Jews who denied the existence of angels, 
457. 

Saints, different significations of the word, 542. supposed 
origin of the practice of commemorating them, 543. its high 
antiquity, 544. object and manner of the festivals innocent 
and useful, 546. abuses in the number, 547» and in the 
manner, 548, 549- corrected at the Reformation, 550. 
summary of the saints commemorated by the Church, 551, 
552. her eminent moderation and discretion in that parti- 
cular, 554, 555. our duty to follow their good examples, 
556. not to trust to their merits and mediation, 557. our 
communion with them, 559 — 561. 

Saints' days, generally the supposed days of their death, 28, 
545. 

Salamis, see of, why made independent of patriarchal juris- 
diction, 298. 

Salome, the mother of James and John, 82. 

Salvation of men, to be promoted by us, after the example of 
the holy angels, 477. 

Samaria, its situation, 385. by whom inhabited, 386. 

Samaritans, causes of the animosity between them and the 
Jews, 386. 

Scriptures, necessity of studying them, 508. good effects of it, 
509, 510. 

Scriptures of the Old Testament, well known to the children 
of all pious Jews, 412. 

Scythia, the Gospel probably preached there by St. An- 
drew, 1 I. 

Self-murder instances of in holy Scripture, 186. its character, 

ibid. 

Sepulchre of Christ, surmise why the Virgin Mary did not 
attend it, 216. 

Sepulchres of the Virgin Mary, Anna, Joakim, and Joseph, 
pretended to be shewn, 217. 



INDEX. 



585 



Simeon, fulfilment of his prophecy to the Virgin Mary, 215. 

Simeon, successor of St. James in the see of Jerusalem, 519. 

Simon, St. his parentage uncertain, 516. whether one of our 
Lord's brethren, ibid, meaning of the names, the Canaan- 
ite, and Zelotes, 517. cause of the names being given him, 
518. little noticed in the New Testament, ibid, scene of 
his ministry and death uncertain, ibid, improperly con- 
founded with Simeon, 519. Reflexions on the little that 
is known of him and some other apostles, 527. 

Simon and Jude, Sts. why commemorated together, 515. 

Sin, unparalleled, 186. 

Smyrna, Church of, commemorated the martyrdom of Poly- 
carp, 545. 

Son, in what sense St, Mark the son of St. Peter, 234, 244. 

•Son of God, name belongs peculiarly to our Saviour, 459. of 
whom used in an inferior sense, ibid, his union with his 
Father, 267. in what manner he distributes the rewards of 
his kingdom, 400 — 402. reverence now due to him as their 
distributor, 403. 

Spain, doubtful whether St. Paul fulfilled his intention of 
going thither, 164. 

Spain, Gospel not preached by St. James in that country, 
391. his memory fondly cherished by the people, ibid, false 
miracles connected with it, 393, 394. 

Spiritual gifts no exemption from the commission or punish- 
ment of sin, 181 . 

Stephen, St. the only martyr commemorated as such by the 
Church, 53. why commemorated at Christmas, 55, 57. 
opinions concerning his early history, 57. one of the pri- 
mitive deacons, 58. his qualifications, 61. Gpposed and 
accused, 61 — 63. his defence, 63. his death in testimony 
of the truth of the Gospel, and of the deity of Christ, 65, 

66. his character, 66. time of his martyrdom uncertain, 

67. church built on the place in honour of him, 68. Re- 
flexions on the motive which animated him, 68 — 72. on 
his dying prayers, 72 — 75. and on his death, 75. 

Subordination on earth to be desired, after the manner of sub- 
ordination in heaven, 476. 

Sufferings, those of St. Paul perhaps unexampled, 158. many 
more than are recorded by St. Luke, 162. 

Supremacy, on what ground asserted by the Church of Rome, 
371. its insufficiency, 372 — 375. not assumed by St. Peter, 
nor admitted by the other apostles, 375, 376. proofs to the 
contrary, 376.-379. 

Sword, why St. Paul represented with one, 167. 

Synagogues at Jerusalem, schools for education, 61. 



586 



INDEX. 



T. 

Tarsus, St. Paul's birth-place, 141. 

Testaments, Old and New, connecting link between them, 
323. 

Thadd,eus, meaning of the name, 519. the Apostle con- 
founded with another person of the same name, 523. 

Theophilus, opinions concerning him, 495, 496. 

Thomas, St. his day why kept second, 27, 28. his names, 
and the reason of them, 29. his early history uncertain, 
29, 30. not much distinguished in the Gospels, 30. occa- 
sions on which particularly mentioned, 30 — 32. his lot pro- 
bably cast in the East, 33. especially in India, 34, 35. 
opinions concerning his death and burial, 36. a Gospel 
falsely attributed to him, 36. Reflexions on his fortitude 
and fidelity, 37, 38. on his dulness of apprehension, 38. 
on his incredulity, 39, 40. valuable results of it, 41 — 45. 
on his faith and noble confession, 45 — 47. 

Thomas, St. Christians of, established in India at an early 
period, 34. question whether descended from the Apostle, 
35. 

Three, the holy, their existence and cooperation in the work 

of grace, importance of the doctrine, 534. 
Timidity of spirit, considerations to encourage us under it, 

307. 

Trade, instruction in one, a part of Jewish education, 141. 
Truth, divine, knowledge of it how to be procured, 420, 421. 

continual accessions to such knowledge, to be hoped for, 

423, 424. 



V. 

Veneration, religious, folly and impiety of making the Virgin 
Mary an object of it, 223. in what way offered to her by 
Romanists, 223, 224. 

Venice, Church of St. Mark there, 242. 

W. 

Wake, Archbishop, his translation of the Epistles of the 

Apostolical Fathers, 299. 
" What have I to do with thee V purport of the phrase in 

Scripture, 212. 



INDEX. 



587 



Wickedness of men not caused by God's foreknowledge, 184. 

employed to further God's purposes, but not wrought by 

him to accomplish them, ibid. 
Will of God, the angels an example to us in doing it, 474. 
Woman, a term of respectful address in ancient times, 212. 
Woman, the Virgin Mary intitled to no higher character, 

218, 219. manifestly distinguished by nature from our 

Lord, 219. represented by the Scriptures as of no higher 

than the human nature, 223. 
Worship to be paid to God and Christ, after the example of 

the holy angels, 475. 
Worship of angels, condemned in Scripture, 478. practised 

and defended by the Church of Rome, 479. when it crept 

into the Church, 480. 

Y. 

Youth, the proper season for serving God, 102. 

Z. 

Zeal, its value, 395. necessity of duly regulating it, 396. 
Zealots, a Jewish sect, their character, 518. 
Zelotes, meaning of the name, 517. why given to St. Si- 
mon, ibid. 



INDEX II. 



OF 

FATHERS AND EARLY WRITERS OF THE CHURCH, 

CITED OR REFERRED TO. 



Apostolical Constitutions, written about the middle of 

the fifth century. 
Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria forty-six years, from 330 

to 375, when he died. 
Augustin, Bishop of Hippo in Africa, flourished in the latter 

part of the fourth century. 
Caius, wrote about the year 212. 

Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, flourished in the latter 
part of the fourth century. 

Clement of Alexandria, flourished at the end of the second 
and the beginning of the third century. 

Clement of Rome, a contemporary of the Apostles. Bishop 
of that see nine years, from 93 to 102. 

Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, flourished about the middle of 
the third century. 

Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis in Cyprus, flourished in the 
latter part of the fourth century. 

Eusebius, Bishop of Csesarea in Palestine, author of the ec- 
clesiastical history from the birth of Christ to the reign of 
Constantino the Great. He died in the time of Constan- 
tine the younger, about the middle of the fourth century. 

Gregory Nazianzen, Bishop of Nazianzum in Cappadocia, 
flourished in the latter half of the fourth century. 

Hegesippus, lived immediately after the Apostles. He died 
in the latter part of the second century. 

Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, disciple of St. John the Apostle 
and Evangelist, died by martyrdom in 111. 

Irenseus, Bishop of Lyons, when a boy a disciple of Polycarp. 
He flourished about the middle of the second century. 



590 



INDEX. 



Jerome, a presbyter of Palestine. He flourished in the latter 

half of the fourth century. 
Justin Martyr flourished soon after the Apostles, being put to 

death before the middle of the second century. 
Nicephorus, Patriarch of Constantinople in the fourteenth 

century. 

Origen, Minister at Csesarea in Palestine, flourished early in 

the third century. 
Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis in Asia. A contemporary of St. 

John, died at the end of the first or beginning of the second 

century. 

Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, disciple of St. John, suffered 
martyrdom at the age of eighty-six, about the year 170. 

Prudentius, a Christian poet, flourished in the latter part of 
the fourth century. 

Socrates of Constantinople, continued Eusebius's ecclesias- 
tical history, early in the fifth century. 

Tertullian, a presbyter of Carthage, flourished at the end of 
the second and beginning of the third century. 

Theodoret, ecclesiastical historian, flourished early in the fifth 
century. 

Theophylact flourished in the eleventh century. 



INDEX III. 



OF MODERN AUTHORS, 

WHOSE WORKS ARE CITED OR REFERRED TO. 



Authors. Works cited or referred to. 

Buchanan, Claudius, >v 

in Bengal, J 
Bull, George, D.D. Bishop ofl Q 

St. David's, permons. 

Calmet Augustine, a French I Dicti t0 the Bible . 

Benedictine, f J 

Cave, William, D.D. Canon \ Lives of the Apostles and Fa- 

of Windsor, J thers. 
Comber, Thomas, D.D. Deanl n . ' . m ■ . 

of Durham V Companion to the lemple. 

Conybeare, John, D.D. Bi- 1 c , 

shop of Bristol, } Sermons. 

Doddridge, Philip. D.D. Family Expositor. 

H ^S!Z; D - D - ReCt ° r J- Analysis of Chronology. 

Hall, Joseph, D.D. Bishop of ) Contemplations on holy Scrip- 
Norwich, j ture. 

Home, George, D.D. Bishop 1 Sermons, and Considerations 
of Norwich, J on St. John the Baptist. 

"of St.' Asaph!' D '°' BiSh ° P } Sermons and Tracts - 

r New and full method for de- 
Jones, Jeremiah, M.A. J termining the Canon of the 

l_ New Testament. 
Jortin, John, D.D. Archdea- ~> Remarks on Ecclesiastical his- 
con of London, J tory, and Sermons. 

Lardner, Nathaniel, D.D. \ Credibility of the Gospel 

3 3 J History. 

L'Estrange, Hamon, Esq. Alliance of Divine Offices. 
Lightfoot, John, D.D. Master^ „ £ A , AT m . 

of Catharine Hall, Cam- l Harmon y of the New Testa " 

bridge, J ment " 



592 



INDEX. 



Macknight, James, D.D. Min-"| Translation of the Aposto- 
ister of the Old Church, > lical Epistles, with a Corn- 
Edinburgh, J mentary. 

Maundrell,* Henry, M.A.I , f A1 

Chaplain to the Factory at i Jour 1 ne y ^ e PP° to Jeru " 
Aleppo, y S salemin 1697 ' 

Mill, William, D.D. i Pr l e ^ en V° ^ editi ° n ° f 

f the New Testament. 

Nelson, Robert, Esq. i Co ™P? ni ° n . fo \ th * festivals 

^ f of the Church of England. 

Nicholls, William, D.D. "1 Comment on the Book of 

j Common Frayer. 
Percy, Thomas, D.D. Bishop ) x ^ 

of Dromore, ] t0 the New T ^tament. 

Pococke, Richard, D.D. Bi-1 T ^ . « r . „ 

shop of Meath, \ Descr.pt.on of the East, 

Potter, John, D.D. Arch- \ Discourse on Church Go- 
bishop of Canterbury, J vernment. 
Prideaux, Humphrey, D.D. \ Connexion of the Old and 

Dean of Norwich, J New Testaments. 

Seeker, Thomas, D.LL. Arch- \ Sermons, and Lectures on the 

bishop of Canterbury, J Church Catechism. 
Shepherd, John, M.A. Vicar ^Elucidation of the Service of 

of Pattiswick, j the Church of England. 

Sparrow, Anthony, D,D. Bi- \ Rationale on the Book of 

shop of Norwich, J Common Prayer. 

Stanhope, George, D.D. Dean"J_ Paraphrase and Comment on 

of Canterbury, j the Epistles and Gospels. 

Taylor, Jeremy, D.D. Bishop j The ^ E 

of Down and Connor, -» r 
Tomline, George, D.D. Bishop l Elements of Christian Theo- 

of Winchester, j l°gy- 

Townsend, George, M.A. Pre- ) Chronological Arrangement of 

bendary of Durham, j the New Testament. 

Townson,Thomas, D.D. Arch-") Discourses on the four Gos- 

deacon of Richmond, j pels. 

Wells, Edward, D.D. Rector). ° n T th ? Geo g ra P h >' of * e . Ne ^ 
ofCotesbatch, f ^ s . ta ™ ent ' and Hel P 40 

J scripture. 

W^atly,CharJes,M,A.\^arr Rat . onal I]iustratio „ of the 
of Brent and Furnenx Pel- ^ Book q{ Common p 
ham, J 

Whitby, Daniel, D.D. Pre- ") Paraphrase and Exposition of 
bendary of Sarum, j the New Testament. 



ar. 



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